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Pakistan vs England 2016, 2nd Test at Old Trafford: Likely XI for Misbah-ul-Haq and co

Old Trafford in Manchester will witness the action this time around as England look to bounce back after their loss in the first Test at Lord's to Pakistan.

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Pakistan will be wary of the fact that the hosts will come hard at them now © Getty Images

Pakistan and England will clash in the second of the four- Test series, at  Old Trafford in Manchester. England are looking to bounce back after their loss in the first Test at Lord’s, wherein they were handed a 75-run defeat by a resurgent and determined Pakistan side. England, more importantly, were done in by Yasir Shah, Pakistan’s leg-spin magician apart from Misbah-ul-Haq’s memorable hundred and abundance of patience and discipline that was seen on the last day of the game. The visitors though, will be wary of the fact that the hosts will come hard at them now, especially with James Anderson, Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid being drafted in. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: Pakistan vs England 2016, 2nd Test at Old Trafford

Top order: Mohammad Hafeez had a mixed start, as he scored a strokeful 40 in the first innings but fell cheaply in the second at Lord’s. Pakistan will be hoping that Hafeez can find his form quickly, now that the pressure on batsman has mounted all the more with Anderson returning in the opposition camp. Sham Masood also did not have a very pleasant outings in both the innings, falling for 7 and 24 on a batting wicket. Masood did look good in the warm-up games against Somerset and Sussex, and Pakistan’s chances of getting a steady start will depend a lot on him as well. READ: Pakistan vs England 2016, 2nd Test at Old Trafford, Preview & Predictions

Azhar Ali will then follow in at No. 3. Azhar had a fantastic start to the tour with centuries in both the practice matches, but he was trapped in front in both innings at Lord’s and failed to make a big impact. Nonetheless, he is a talented, capable batsman who has runs in his kitty on this tour and is likely to play a few important knocks in the series.

Middle-order: Pakistan’s middle-order scored the majority of runs in the first Test. Younis Khan could not make most of his start in both the innings but  a big innings from the batting great might be just around the corner. Once set, it is difficult to remove Younis, and  England must be ready with their plans to get rid of the batting mainstay. At Lord’s, Misbah played an innings of a lifetime, being solid in defence as well as innovative with his shot selection. His century has sent out a strong message signalling that Pakistan are ready to match England on all fronts. Asad Shafiq too adapted well to conditions and scored valuable half-century in the first essay. His scores of 73 and 49 at Lord’s were replete with application and gumption to spend time at the wicket. READ: Pakistan vs England 2016: Misbah-ul-Haq describes victory at Lord’s as special

Lower Order and Bowling: Pakistan’s lower-order has Sarfraz Ahmed,  and his presence provides them another edge over England. Sarfraz has been among runs too, as his 45 in the second innings signalled decent form with the bat.. However, like most of the touring wicketkeepers, he too struggled with the lateral movement of the ball. Meanwhile, his chirping from behind the wickets — in the old Pakistani way — was a treat to watch.

The extremely talented Yasir remains the heart of the Pakistan bowling — even though England might have not thought as much going into the series. Yasir topped the rankings for ICC Test bowlers with his splendid maiden 10-wicket haul at the home of cricket.

At Manchester, Yasir will once again be the one to watch out for, with the pitch offering more turn. Misbah’s confirmation of the leg-spinner being match fit has certainly given a sigh of relief to Pakistan,

The pace bowling attack is expected to be retained with the three left-arm pacers — Rahat Ali, Wahab Riaz and the comeback man Mohammad Aamer — licking their lips as to what kind of pitch England will offer. They took a wicket each in England’s first innings and bowled excellent spells full of verve in the second at a time when things were stalled.

Pakistan likely XI: Mohammad Hafeez, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Aamer, Rahat Ali.

(Karan Dewana reporter with CricketCountry, loves following and playing sports. He is a Team India fan and loves winning. Follow him on his twitter handle @karan13dewan)

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