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Pakistan vs England 2016. 2nd Test at Old Trafford: Alastair Cook vs Mohammad Aamer and other key clashes

James Anderson's return to the side will increase England's chances in 2nd Test at Old Trafford.

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Mohammad Aamer celebrating after taking Alastair Cook's wicket © Getty Images
Mohammad Aamer versus Alastair Cook, on a green-top wicket, is a contest the cricket fraternity eagerly waiting to witness © Getty Images

England will be eager to level the Test series against Pakistan, after their defeat in the  first game at Lord’s in this four-match affair. On the other hand, Pakistan will be keen to extend their lead and repeat the heroics of Lord’s. James Anderson’s return to the English side will be a big boost for hosts, and so will be the addition of their charismatic all-rounder Ben Stokes and talented Adil Rashid. England could expect Rashid to match Yasir Shah’s feats, after he demolished the hosts’ batsmen on a batting-friendly track at the home of cricket.  FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Pakistan vs England 2016, 2nd Test at Old Trafford, Manchester

The second Test will be extremely crucial as the hosts now need two wins to get in a place of comfort, whereas a draw will ensure that Pakistan remain ahead. While Pakistan are likely to retain their side, England have already dropped Jake Ball and Steven Finn, which makes the player versus player battles interesting. Let’s take a look:

Alastair Cook vs Mohammad Aamer: The England skipper may have lacked big scores but his job will be to keep batting in the same manner. If he drops anchor, England have others who can bat around him and put up big total. He scored a half-century at Lord’s in the first innings but flopped in the second. Mohammad Aamer versus Cook remains to be the battle the cricket fraternity is waiting in anticipation on a proper English wicket, and whether we get at that at Old Trafford remains to be seen.

Joe Root vs Yasir Shah: The leg-spinner was the star of the Lord’s Test picking up his maiden 10-wicket haul and entering the history books. He raced to the top in ICC Test Rankings for bowlers, going past James Anderson. He sent Root packing when he was looking settled at the crease in first innings, and facing Yaser’s  quality leg-spin will test Root to the hilt

James Anderson vs Younis Khan: Anderson is all set to return and he will be up against the class of Younis, who is an impact player and cannot be ruled out from making a strong impact in this series despite ordinary showing at Lord’s.

Misbah-ul-Haq vs Moeen Ali: Misbah created history at Lord’s with a century at the age of 42, demolishing Moeen Ali in the process. His celebration after scoring the century was a treat to watch. However, Moeen got his revenge in the second innings getting the Pakistani captain out for a duck.

Chris Woakes vs Asad Shafiq: Woakes managed to take 11 wickets in the first Test, and with a few runs in his kitty he remained England’s best performer. Woakes broke partnerships, picked wickets early on and helped in mopping up the tail quickly as well. He got rid of Asad Shafiq twice in the match making it an interesting battle to watch out for in second Test.

(Arun Rawal, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a daydreamer, movie buff, and cricket fanatic. He could not play cricket, so did the next best thing, writing for it. He loves to play the flick shot over square leg, and believes Sachin Tendulkar is God. His Twitter handle is @ArunRawal93)

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