December 4, 2022. The sun shone down on the already peaceful Rawalpindi Stadium. U.K. Seeming to have all the trump cards, but with no help on the surface, a draw seems the most likely outcome.
Fans have not minded the nature of the game so far. With Pakistan having such extravagance in cricket these days, they are more than happy to watch any kind of game. To their credit, England provided plenty of entertainment for those who showed up. They scored more than six runs per possession and continued to do so in the second inning, scoring more than seven runs per possession.
This pirate-style shot often leaves a residue – more often than not, it comes in the form of a wicket. England conceded seven wickets at the Tea Party on Day 4 to lead by just 342 runs. Liam Livingstone, white ball predators, but on Test debut, still there. Almost everyone in the world knows how much havoc he can cause.
So there won’t be many complaints if England consider adding another 50 points before the announcement. In fact, that’s how the game of cricket has been played over the years – making sure the game is safe before thinking about how to win it.
But England, in ben stokes and Brendon McCallum – Powerful pair Test cricket never knew it needed – don’t do things by convention. Instead, they do what they believe in, and once a decision is made, they stick to it. When they speak, the world listens. Not because they’re attractive, but because they walk the talk—which most people don’t, especially when they’re under pressure.
A day later, selections across England, McCallum and Stokes were confirmed. In the fading sun, on arguably the calmest pitch these guys have ever played, Jack Ridge sprinted past Naseem Shah’s inside lane and trapped him in front.
The initial reaction was to applaud Leach, lest we forget he wasn’t a regular under the former captain Joe Root. But as time went on, you couldn’t pin down which particular man helped England achieve this historic victory.
Stokes had the final say. But the run was scored by Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope, Zach Crowley and Root. Stokes sets the offensive field.but james anderson, Ollie Robinson Leach came forward at various times.
That’s why this team, despite only being together for a few months, is amazing. They all know who their leader is. They love him in place, and if Stokes asked them to, they’d probably smash through a brick wall. However, their captain also knows that for this aggressive philosophy to work, he needs every member of the squad to commit to the cause. No ifs and buts.
England perform well throughout Rawalpindi Test
On Day 1, England broke all batting records. It probably doesn’t make much sense to document them in this particular article, since that’s already well documented. Even on opening day, they had a good idea of how they wanted to take this test.
They could have sat out, as Australia did earlier this year on a ground that resembles a running track more than a cricket pitch. But they don’t. They risked losing the game because they thought they deserved to win it.
For the ball, their plan also deviates from the traditional one. In Pakistan, spinning mills are often expected to play a key role. Instead, England took their fast bowlers to the limit, extracting plenty of reverse swing. Anderson and Robinson are especially good.
Both of them, by the way, questioned their applicability in the subcontinent. Anderson, largely because of his age. Robinson, for he doesn’t play much on these shores. However, the duo answered those critics emphatically, using almost a strategy that Pakistan was once famous for in the 1990s and moving away from their natural approach.
Eight games, especially in this format, doesn’t say much about how successful a team is. England are likely to falter in India, where the ball will square off and shrink the positivity bubble they currently carry. Would England do things differently, though?
Maybe not. That’s the key takeaway from this historic test. One day, that approach will fail — they’ll be knocked out for paltry totals and people will ask why they need to hit the ball so hard in a game that lasts five days. In the Stokes-McCullum era, however, there was no regression. The only time they look back is to see how far they’ve come.
Remember, it wasn’t that long ago that England lost Tests of all shapes and sizes. They were blown away in Australia.they were torn to pieces India. England were even hit hard in the West Indies. They are here now. Not worried about failure because they believe that what they do will lead to more wins than failures.
In many ways, England defied the age-old traditions of Test cricket and dared to leave everyone behind. Of course, one game doesn’t mean they’ve done it.
But if you keep ignoring what they’re doing, almost single-handedly trying to change the way cricket is played, if you don’t really appreciate what they’re trying to do – especially in an era where every mistake is magnified and shared on social media. If you get criticized online, maybe you’ve been looking at the wrong sport.
Through sheer will, bravery and grit, England breathed life into a lifeless stadium in Rawalpindi. So much so that if this team ceased to exist tomorrow they would still have their own chapter in cricketing folklore. That should tell you everything you need to know about how special this show is.
