Saqlain: There was no Plan B for Yasir Shah at Old Trafford
What a win for England that was, and having been invited over to work with the ECB for the second Test, it was a brilliant match to work on and I loved each and every session. The atmosphere in the dressing room with the players and the support staff has been superb and it’s been great to be a part of.
Alastair Cook, as captain, really leads from the front, not just on the pitch but in the dressing room and training sessions, too. Everybody was on top form in all chats and meetings and was very professional, but at the same time it’s a very relaxed setting.
Obviously Cook did lead on the pitch, too, making a wonderful century and enjoying a marvellous partnership with Joe Root. Both innings were fantastic to watch and you could sense something big was on the horizon with the way both were preparing themselves before the Test.
There’s a calmness in both of them, but there’s also a real sense of aggression. That’s something that both Cook and Root know how to control and it really helps them in all aspects of the game. There were a number of talks between the groups and Alastair and Joe are both key figures around the whole set-up.
The way the team were preparing for Old Trafford, I can’t understand why we lost the first Test match. The morale was on top of the world and the preparation was up to the mark. Everything was pointing in the right direction. There was a real sense of belief, not just self-belief but belief in team-mates, too, and that showed in Manchester.
One of the key difference between Old Trafford and Lord’s was how England dealt with Pakistan spinner Yasir Shah. We didn’t talk too much about him but we did have a clear plan on how to face him. We saw what Yasir could do in the first Test so we came up with a strategy on how to tackle that and, without giving away too many secrets, it paid off.
Cookie, Root, Bairstow and Woakes all dealt with him with no problems and they showed their strengths instead of letting Yasir show his. That’s even more remarkable considering that there was more bounce and turn at Old Trafford compared to at Lord’s. Root got out to Yasir in the first Test playing the sweep shot but he was still so confident to play his shots and to play without any real fear.
With my spinner’s head on, it looked like Yasir just simply had no Plan B. He is a wonderful bowler and has a lot of skill but there wasn’t enough thought going into his bowling. He had his field placings wrong, especially after the batsmen were set, and even then he wasn’t bowling to his field.
Going into a game, you need to have a number of plans, it’s not something you can just come up.You look at the surface, the climate and your game plan in general. You always need a Plan B, but to have that you need a crystal clear mind. Yasir is a bubbly and energetic guy but he just didn’t seem to have that smile and look about him throughout the second Test.
There were a few technical issues going on, too. He wasn’t fully completing his action sometimes and there were just a lot of loose balls. That’s something we, as England, capitalised on quickly though and it just unsettles the bowler.
England executed all their plans spot on, adapting to the different pitch and conditions. In comparison, Pakistan struggled. The batting line-up looks shaky, and field placings all round were poor. England had the upper edge on the technical side of things, and that’s huge.
There has been a lot of talk about whether Cook was right to not enforce the follow-on, but as long as all the players and support staff are happy, then there should be no issue.
If you are all on the same page, and believe what you’re doing is correct, then whatever decision is made will be seen as the right one.
From a Pakistan point of view, the batsmen are skilful and have a lot of potential, but in England you need to be technically sound. If your technique is good, then your shot selection will be right and that just gives you so many more options.
You also have to play really late, under your nose so that you’re ‘smelling’ the leather.
Misbah-ul-Haq was the only Pakistan batsman to offer resistance because he played the ball late. He didn’t play many shots, but the ones he did he absolutely nailed.
One other issue is the fitness level of the Pakistan squad.Yes, they are fit, but you could see that back-to-back Tests tired them and they’ll be grateful for this lengthy gap before next week at Edgbaston.
Jimmy Anderson looks to have Shan Masood’s number, and that’s something the opener cannot fix in ten days, but I’d keep him in for the next Test. The only option would be Sami Aslam but facing the likes of Anderson and Stuart Broad mid-series is just asking for trouble.
Having three left-armers just doesn’t make sense so I’d get Imran Khan into the team. He took six wickets in the two matches he played against England in the UAE and offers something slightly different with the change of angle.
It’s not down to me, though, and there are selectors who are watching this team day-in, day-out.
This rest could prove vital and we all know Edgbaston tends to produce entertaining Tests so here’s hoping for another. I’ve seen there have been rumours that I’ll be back with England in the winter. I haven’t spoke to the ECB about it but it’s something I would love to do. It’s a privilege and an honour to work with this group of players and I love my coaching.
There’s a calmness in both Cook and Root but there’s also a real sense of aggression and that’s something they are able to control