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England v Pakistan

Marks out of 10: How England’s players fared in their Test series win over Pakistan

Yas Rana by Yas Rana
@Yas_Wisden 4 minute read

Marks out of 10 for the 13 England players who appeared in their 1-0 series win over Pakistan.

Rory Burns 1/10

20 runs @ 5.00, HS: 10

After good series against Australia, New Zealand and West Indies, Burns struggled against Pakistan’s potent new-ball pairing of Mohammad Abbas and Shaheen Afridi. Afridi got the best of Burns on three occasions, and at times the fall of Burns’ wicket felt inevitable. A backwards step after an encouraging year in Test cricket.

Dom Sibley 5/10

98 runs @ 24.50, HS: 36

Sibley also failed to pass 50 across his four innings but fought through Pakistan’s initial new-ball bursts on all but one occasion; it’ll frustrate Sibley that he wasn’t able to make the most of those starts. His 36 in the second innings at Manchester was a quietly important contribution in England’s successful run chase.

Zak Crawley 9.5/10

320 runs @ 160, HS: 267

The scorer of England’s 10th-highest score in Test cricket at the age of just 22. Rarely do young players announce their arrivals on the world stage with such style and substance. Zak Crawley is here to stay.

Joe Root  4.5/10

94 runs @ 31.33, HS: 42

A handful of starts but no match-defining contribution, Root’s story was similar to Sibley’s. This is the first time since 2013 that Root has completed a series without registering a half-century.

Ollie Pope 5/10

81 runs @ 20.25, HS: 62

Pope’s 62 at Emirates Old Trafford was one of the knocks of the series and it took one of the deliveries of the series from Naseem Shah to bring it to an end. But aside from that it was a tough series for the Surrey youngster, who found life tricky against the leg-spin of Yasir Shah.

Jos Buttler 9/10

265 runs @ 88.33, HS: 152

The series of Buttler’s Test career, just as that career appeared to be on the line. A match-winning turn in the fourth innings at Manchester was followed by 152 in his final Test innings of the summer, silencing the doubters and proving that he has what it takes to be a Test-class top-six batsman. It was a mixed series with the gloves: occasional moments of brilliance but also a collection of missed chances.

Chris Woakes 8/10

143 runs @ 71.50, HS: 84*

6 wickets @ 27.50, BBI: 2-11

Were it not for Buttler and Woakes’ heroics at Manchester, Pakistan would have won the series 1-0. After a quiet couple of years with the bat in Test cricket, Woakes more than justified his selection at No. 7. With the ball, Woakes was as reliable as he always is in home conditions, but outshone by Messrs Broad and Anderson as the series progressed.

Stuart Broad 8.5/10

51 runs @ 25.50, HS: 29*

13 wickets @ 16.46, BBI: 4-56

England’s player of the summer continued his fine form from the West Indies series. Now ranked second in the world, he is the first England seamer on the teamsheet.

Jofra Archer 5/10

4 wickets @ 39.50, BBI: 3-59

Abid Ali in the first innings at Manchester was the only top-seven wicket Archer took across his two Tests. He bowled quickly at Southampton without reward, generally persisting with the short ball on a fairly lifeless surface.

James Anderson 7.5/10

11 wickets @ 23.45, BBI: 5-56

Anderson ended the series on 600 Test wickets as he became the first seamer in the history of the game to reach that landmark. He was at his best on the second evening of the third Test, running through the Pakistan top order with the new ball.  Continues to defy the ageing process.

Ben Stokes 6/10

9 runs @ 4.50, HS: 9

2 wickets at 5.50, BBI: 2-11

Stokes experienced a rare double failure with the bat in his only outing of the series, but his intervention with the ball that Test, taking two wickets when he wasn’t even supposed to be bowling, was typical Stokes.

Sam Curran 4/10

1 wicket at 44, BBI: 1-44

Just the one appearance for Curran this series. He only took the one wicket, that of the well-set Abid Ali for 60. After playing all six winter Tests, Curran has fallen behind Woakes in the pecking order.

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