Unified England primed for Pakistan series decider

Ben Stokes has already suffered one defeat in Rawalpindi.

Mano a mano with England coach Brendon McCullum, the captain was schooled in a six-hitting competition, just as he was before the last Test in Pakistan two years ago.

Stokes was left calling for a stewards’ inquiry into the throwing of Paul Collingwood, which did appear to be pretty questionable.

The surprise overall winner was Rehan Ahmed, who beat Harry Brook in the final (special mentions go to mighty wallops from Joe Root and Jamie Smith).

It was the continuation of a good week for Ahmed, recalled as a third spinner on a pitch attracting the most attention since England last played a Test.

For Pakistan, it was spin to win the second Test in Multan, and they have looked to repeat the trick for the decider, starting on Thursday.

The industrial fans, heaters and windbreaks used to dry the surface suggest someone has maxed out a credit card in a hardware store.

Most intriguing are the lines scored down the length of the strip, possibly by a rake or even a bed of nails. The pitch remains hard, and a knock could do damage to the knuckles.

The consensus seems to be it will be good for batting for the first part of the game, making the toss marginally less important than the second Test. Good news for England, considering they have lost seven in a row.

“Initially, I think it will be a good pitch, but the longer it goes, the more spin will come into play,” Stokes told BBC Sport.

“Fair play to them for using their home advantage. They have come off the back of a good win and have spinners full of confidence, so they will be looking to give them more assistance here. That could bring us into the game as well.”

If the six-hitting, pitch shenanigans and even the miaowing of a cat that has made itself comfortable in the Test Match Special commentary box gave a giddy feeling to the run-up to the final Test, it wasn’t shared by Pakistan coach Jason Gillespie.

While Gillespie was saying this was the most “relaxed and happy” England side he has seen – quite a statement considering he was part of the Australia team beaten by Michael Vaughan’s men in 2005 – he must have been wondering what was going on with his own side.

Yes, the win in the second Test ended Pakistan's 11-match winless run at home and six successive defeats anywhere, yet it came in the most unorthodox fashion and by undermining one of the most respected coaches in the game.

When Gillespie spoke to the media on Wednesday, including plenty of journalists he had a close relationship with during spells at Yorkshire and Sussex, he said he had been told the Pakistan team but was not allowed to announce it. As it turns out, the home side are unchanged.

“It was decided that a new selection panel would come in and they would be making decisions,” said Gillespie. “I was not involved in the decision-making, so I was just there.

“I'm now just the coach on matchday strategy, so I just keep out of things now and just focus on the players and getting them ready for cricket.”

Asked whether this was the job he had signed up to, Gillespie replied: “It's not for me to talk about now. I'm not a selector. I'm a matchday strategist as head coach and I'm all about the players.

“My focus is on the players. I'll let the selectors do their job and we'll just go out there and play the best cricket we can possibly play. I'm getting splinters from sitting on the fence here.”

Observing the two camps therefore leaves the conclusion that no matter the result of this final Test – and the result is important – England will move on unified and focused, while Pakistan will be lurching into the unknown.

One wonders how Pakistan’s strategy will transfer to their next Test, in South Africa on Boxing Day, while England will swiftly turn their attention to the tour of New Zealand starting in just over a month.

A squad for that three-match series is expected at the end of this Test, probably with just one change. A third spinner will not be needed, so Ahmed will make way for the cover required when wicketkeeper Smith returns home for the birth of his first child.

The rumble in Rawalpindi isn’t just the climax of this series, but also to England’s Asian adventure spanning the best part of four years.

This will be England’s 17th Test in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka going back to the start of 2021. They played only four matches on this continent in the entire 1990s.

They don’t come back until two Tests against Bangladesh in 2027, with the next two winter assignments in Australia and South Africa providing an entirely different challenge.

They have the chance to repeat the events of two years ago in this country, when they earned one of their all-time best overseas wins, while victory on this ground in the opening Test of 2022 was one of their very best anywhere.

“It would be great to leave Pakistan again winning a series,” said Stokes. “Coming to Asia and Pakistan in particular, where it seems to be very hard to get a result, to be able to leave here with two series victories in the past couple of years would be very pleasing.”

It would make the six-hitting defeat much easier to swallow.