Shan Masood: “England have a lot of experience and strength in their squad who have yet to play. And their top batting is also not [as] brittle as some people believe”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Opening batsman Shan Masood believes Pakistan would be foolish to underestimate England after they lost to the West Indies in the first Test.

The West Indies defeated England by four wickets in Southampton, but Masood noted that England will be stronger heading into the second Test on Thursday as they will have captain Joe Root back.

Root missed the first Test due to the birth of his second child.

Even though England were stunned in the first Test, Masood pointed out that they will be looking to bounce back and keep on dominating for the rest of their home summer.

“This is the first competitive match for both teams after nearly three months and I think the rustiness was evident in the home side. But I think they (England) have a lot of strong reserves to draw up from,” Masood was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times. “When Joe Root returns to the side as captain, the batting will also be more stable.

“England have a lot of experience and strength in their squad who have yet to play. And their top batting is also not [as] brittle as some people believe. Don’t forget these same batsmen scored runs in South Africa when England won the Test series.”

After spending 14 days in isolation in Worcester, the Pakistan team arrived in Derby on Monday.

They will travel to Manchester on August 1 prior to the start of the Test series.

Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests and three T20 Internationals against England, with the first Test starting on August 5 and the T20 series beginning on August 28.

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