England vs Pakistan, Lord's Test: Presenting match preview and stats
What's the story
England are set to face Pakistan in the 2nd Test match at Lord's starting August 27. Hosts England own a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, having blown Pakistan away by an innings and 103 runs inside three days. Pakistan will be wanting to improve across all three departments and show some much needed steel and authority. For England, they will aim to win this game and pocket the series.
Match analysis
England routed Pakistan in 1st Test
As mentioned, England dominated the first Test match against Pakistan, winning by an innings and 103 runs.
The match was one-sided from start to finish. Ollie Robinson claimed a wicket on the very first ball of the match. He finished with 8 scalps in the contest.
Josh Tongue was also brilliant for the hosts, finishing the match with eight wickets as well.
England's batting was bolstered by four half-centuries, including Harry Brook's top score of 91 off 93 balls.
Team changes
Babar Azam returns for 2nd Test
For the upcoming second Test, Pakistan will be bolstered by Babar Azam's return from a finger injury.
He was in good form during last month's Caribbean tour, scoring 193 runs.
However, he hasn't scored a hundred since December 2022 and will be looking to make his mark in this series.
In a press conference ahead of the match, Babar said he was "90% fit" and felt comfortable going into the game.
"I had a couple of practice sessions," he added.
Probable XIs
Here are the likely XIs
England probable XI: Emilio Gay, Ben Duckett, Jordan Cox, Joe Root (c), Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue.
PAK probable XI: Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (c), Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Ubaid Shah/Khurram Shahzad, Ali Usman, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali.
Player focus
Player focus: Here are the stats
Across 8 Tests (14 innings), Babar has racked up 646 runs against England at a solid average of 53.83. In addition to six fifties, he owns a hundred.
In just seven Tests (11 innings) against Pakistan, Brook has racked up 932 runs at an astronomical average of 84.72. His conversion rate is brilliant - 4 tons and 2 half-centuries.
As per Cricinfo, Root has scored 2,175 runs from 24 Tests at 53.04 at Lord's (100s: 8, 50s: 7).
ENG and PAK
ENG and PAK's summary at Lord's
Between 1884 and 2026, England have played 147 Tests at Lord's, as per Cricinfo.
The hosts have won 61 and lost 35 matches here, with 51 games ending in draws.
Notably, England have lost five and won four Tests against Pakistan at Lord's.
They also have a poor Test record against Australia here, losing 16 of their 38 Tests.
Meanwhile, from 1954 to 2018, Pakistan have played a total of 16 Lord's Tests against the Brits.
They have five wins and as many defeats in this regard, with six games ending in a draw.
Information
ENG vs PAK: H2H record in Tests
England have played a total of 93 Tests against Pakistan, winning 31 and losing 23. Remaining 39 games have been drawn. When it comes to England's encounters with Pakistan at home, the hosts have won 25 while losing just 12.
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Match timing and telecast details
One can watch the live telecast of the England vs Pakistan Test match at Lord's in India on the SonyLIV app and website. In television, Sony Ten 5 and Sony Ten 5 HD will telecast the match. Play will start at 3:30 pm (IST).
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