Babar Azam: “Yes, England have that edge in fast bowling because they have James Anderson who is very experienced and give them [an] edge in that department”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan captain Babar Azam conceded that England have an edge over his side in fast bowling due to experienced swing specialist James Anderson.
Anderson is the most successful pace bowler in Test history as he is the third-highest wicket-taker in the format. Currently, he only sits behind Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan and Australia’s Shane Warne.
The 40-year-old’s experience and ability to excel in all conditions is what gives England an advantage over Pakistan, whose pace attack in the first Test consisted of 19-year-old Naseem Shah and two debutants in Haris Rauf and Mohammad Ali. The leader of the fast bowling line-up – Shaheen Shah Afridi – is out of action for the foreseeable future as he is recovering from a knee injury he sustained during the T20 World Cup final.
“Yes, England have that edge in fast bowling because they have James Anderson who is very experienced and give them [an] edge in that department,” Azam was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Anderson finished with five wickets in the first Test, four of which came in the second innings, as England triumphed by 74 runs.
The second Test will begin on Friday in Multan.
Pakistan’s Squad for England Test Series: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Ali, Shan Masood, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Saud Shakeel, Zahid Mahmood, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed
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