Published: Aug 02, 2016, 11:59 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 03, 2016, 06:27 AM (IST)
Birmingham: England captain Alastair Cook hopes Steven Finn will rise to the occasion after the fast bowler was recalled for the third Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston. Finn, who will replace injured all-rounder Ben Stokes, is expected to be the only change to the England side that won the second Test at Old Trafford by 330 runs to level the four-match series at 1-1, when Cook tosses up with Pakistan counterpart Misbah-ul-Haq on Wednesday. The 27-year-old Middlesex quick, has edged out Nottinghamshire paceman Jake Ball. Both bowlers played in Pakistan’s 75-run win in the series opener at Lord’s – a match where Finn went wicketless for the first time in his Test career, and on his home ground as well. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Pakistan vs England 2016, 3rd Test at Edgbaston
Yet Finn’s record of 120 wickets in 33 Tests at an average of under 30 apiece saw him win out in what Cook admitted was a “tough call”. Finn’s career has been a mixture of the unplayable, as when taking a Test-best 6 for 79 against Australia at Edgbaston last year, and the insipid.
Now Cook wants the sometimes uncertain Finn, who has had several minor injuries this season, to put complete trust in his talent. Asked what his advice to Finn would be, Cook told reporters at Edgbaston on Tuesday: “Not to worry too much about it. He sometimes can worry too much about it. He cares deeply about playing for England and doesn’t want to let anyone down.” READ: Pakistan vs England 2016, 3rd Test at Edgbaston, Preview & Predictions
Opening batsman Cook added: “He’s a huge talent. On his day, he bowls spells which are incredible to be standing at first slip for, as he did against Australia here [last year].
“So [I’ll] try and tell him to relax and play. That doesn’t always happen. But sometimes, when you’re dropped, it’s a bit of a moment for you as a player.” Cook also hopes to see a reaction from a player understandably disappointed at being dropped. “He obviously missed out on the last Test, and that will have hurt him. Telling him he wasn’t playing, you saw that disappointment and hunger almost straightaway. Telling him he was playing today, you saw that glint in his eye.”
Ball had his moments on debut at Lord’s and Cook said deciding the identity of England’s fourth seamer had been a difficult. “It was a tough call, as I found at two o’clock [0100GMT] this morning when I was wide awake thinking about it. But we’ve gone for a guy with a proven Test record, who has a knack of picking up wickets and good memories from last year. He hasn’t quite been at his best this year, and there are a few factors in that, but physically that’s now better.”
