England will be taking on Pakistan in the third and final Test at the Rose Bowl in Southampton and the hosts will be aiming to win a Test series for the first time in a decade against Pakistan.
Date – August 21 to August 25
Time – 3:00 PM IST
Venue – Rose Bowl, Southampton
It is strange that England have not won a series against Pakistan for close to a decade. Even when they were the No.1 ranked side in the world, they failed to get the better of Pakistan. In 2012, they were whitewashed 3-0. In 2015/16, they were hammered 2-0 in the UAE while in the two tours at home in 2016 and 2018, Pakistan came out the moral victors with a 2-2 and 1-1 series draw respectively. Not since 2010 have England registered a series win against Pakistan at home. In Southampton, they will be gunning to break a 10-year jinx as they look to either win or draw the final Test, having won the first one in Old Trafford while the second Test saw only 134 overs being bowled.
Play will begin at 3:00 PM IST, half an hour early after all the complaints of bad light in the previous Test. The early start should give both teams and their bowlers a certain advantage. Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Abbas have shown their mettle on helpful conditions but so have Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes. James Anderson has looked good in patches and it will be interesting to see whether England’s team stick with the same combination for the decider.
What England will be hoping that sticks are their catches. In the previous Test, they dropped catches with ease and it will be a worrying sign. The batting has also not lived up to the mark, with the likes of Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler playing out of their skins in Old Trafford to win. Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley have shown promise but Rory Burns is a problem while Joe Root’s decline in the last two years will not help their cause.
The same goes for Pakistan. Abid Ali shone at the top but their batting still revolves around Babar Azam. Pakistan, though, will be heartened by the performance of Mohammad Rizwan who batted well with the tail
Weather report
The weather in Southampton is not looking too promising, with rain on three out of the five days. There is some chance of dry weather on day 2 and 3 but otherwise, the forecast is incredibly gloomy.
Pitch conditions
The pitch at the Rose Bowl has traditionally had a dry look to it. There is assistance for pacers on the first few days with the hardness and grass on the pitch. As the Test progresses, spinners will play a part.
Toss prediction
Any team that wins the toss in overcast conditions on Friday might be tempted to have a bowl first. However, England wasted their opportunities in the previous game and they undid some of their hard work.
Past Record
England have played five Tests in Southampton with one draw against Sri Lanka in 2011 and a draw in their previous encounter. They have won two games both against India but they suffered their first loss against West Indies during the first Test of the summer.
Prediction
Whoever can survive the first hour of the new ball can dominate the game. Pakistan have a great spinner in Yasir Shah while England’s pace bowling holds the edge. On paper, if the pitch is dry, then Pakistan hold the advantage.
Probable playing XIs
Pakistan: Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali (c), Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah
England: Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root (c), Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler (wk), Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "England vs Pakistan Southampton")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}