Wahab vows to pressurise England’s ‘new faces’

Left-armer says that England’s batsmen are not as experienced as they used to be

Pakistan left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz said yesterday that England are not as tough as they were last year, and Pakistani bowlers are looking to exploit the inexperience of the young English batsmen.

In the 2015 Test series between Pakistan and England in UAE, Wahab was arguably man of the series, especially on the second morning of the Dubai Test, when in the space of four overs he claimed the wickets of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler. As a result, Pakistan took control of the game and the series.

Ahead of the Lord’s Test on Thursday, the 31-year-old left-armer said he is confident there will be weaknesses to exploit in England’s batting line-up.

“I know they [England’s batsmen] are not as experienced as they used to be,” he told Sportsmail. “They have some new faces who are under pressure to perform, and if we can get Cook and Root out early, it will put a lot of pressure on England’s batting side.”



Wahab is particularly looking forward to resuming his battle with Joe Root, who impressed last year before the Pakistani pacer had him caught behind for 88 in Dubai to trigger England’s collapse. Now, the left-arm fast-bowler insists he knows England’s weaknesses.

“After the first Test in Abu Dhabi we worked out what he lacks and where he scores runs, so we made a plan of how to bowl to him,” he said. “Over here, the wickets will be much more even. We have made plans. It’s just how we execute them.”

Wahab’s skill in UAE was to overcome the conditions by using his pace through the air, and keeping batsmen guessing with a potent mix of bouncers and yorkers. However, a T20 stint with Essex has helped reacquaint him with England, and he has worked out how to adapt.

“If it’s cloudy, the ball starts to swing more. If it’s sunny, you have to be more consistent and bowl into the stumps,” he said.



The 31-year-old was part of the team which toured England six years ago – a trip that will forever be associated with the Lord’s spot-fixing scandal.

Nevertheless, Wahab has a strong desire to make a different impression this time around. “Whatever happened five or six years ago, it’s gone now,” he said. “This series will be very exciting for the crowd.”

Pakistan’s current tour of England includes four Tests, five ODIs and one T20I.

This article originally appeared on Daily Mail