A breath of stale air at The Oval

With Pakistan desperate to record their first Test win over England since November 2005 – having lost five of the six Tests played since – the return of Mohammad Yousuf has been seen as a vital ingredient to set the record straight.

The inclusion of youngsters at number three and four for the first three Tests of the tour was widely seen by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as a fresh start for Pakistan cricket. However, following a spate of low scores and continuous humiliation, the board was forced to call back the retired Yousuf to bolster the fragile batting line-up that has been severely tested in bowling-friendly conditions.

While the conditions have proved a nightmare for the batsmen, Pakistan bowlers, though, have proved their worth on the tour.

“The conditions have been overcast throughout,” said captain Salman Butt on the eve of the match. “The bowlers know how to utilise them so that has been the difficult part for the batsmen. But we can’t use it as an excuse and it has been four Test matches so far and we should come up with something better this time.”

Kamran returns as well

Injuries, too, have forced Pakistan to revamp their squad with the latest casualty being backup wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider who aggravated his finger injury in his debut match at Edgbaston. Unfortunately for Pakistan, it will be the second time this year that regular wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal returns to the playing eleven after being omitted for just one match after horrors behind the stumps.

Riaz likely to make debut

Pakistan will also be forced to make a change in the fast-bowling attack with Umar Gul having been ruled out of the remainder of the Test series. With Wahab Riaz having already played for Pakistan, his preference over Tanvir Ahmed looks likely with Saeed Ajmal, with a five-wicket haul and a half-century at Edgbaston, shouldering spinning responsibilities.

Amin faces the axe

The return of Yousuf, however, will signal the exit for one of the youngsters and with Azhar Ali looking more stable of the two at number three, Umar Amin looks the likely omission from the playing eleven to make way for the veteran. Yousuf, who scored 631 runs in the 2006 Test series in England, has not played competitive cricket since January but did feature in the two-day tour match against Worcestershire in which he scored an unbeaten 40 before rain denied Pakistan the much-needed batting practice.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18^th, 2010.