England vs Pakistan | Prediction for Day 3 of the Old Trafford Test
After letting Pakistan score a comparatively huge first-innings total of 326, England let themselves down in front of some lethal pace bowling from the visitors, only to be saved by Ollie Pope again. The hopes of Day 3 lies squarely on his shoulder as England would want to recover their innings.
Brief Scores : England 92/4 (Ollie Pope 46*, Jos Buttler 15*, Mohammad Abbas 2/24, Shaheen Afridi 1/12) trail Pakistan 326 (Shan Masood 156, Babar Azam 69, Stuart Broad 3/54, Jofra Archer 3/59) by 234 runs at the end of Day 2.
Weather forecast for Day 3
After a pretty sunny day on Day 2, the third day will be presenting a day of almost similar kind, with most rain expected at night. If Accuweather is to be believed the day would be “very warm with times of sun and clouds” but in the afternoon session, there is a minor chance of rain. England will mostly be happy about the fact, with their batsmen being interested in trading the early advantage.
Pitch report for Day 3
If you looked at the way England batted in the first hour of their innings, you would have had a typically English wicket feel to it but the reality was far from that. The wicket had lost all of its sting - whatever little had been left - and it was purely down to the Pakistani bowlers perseverance and consistency they managed to create early inroads. It seemed like the wicket would continue to have a similar kind of impact on Day 3 and all hopes are pinned on the duo of Jos Buttler and Ollie Pope and how they would navigate through that for a better first innings total.
Key Batsman
If you think about it, there really isn’t an option but one here. With Joe Root and Ben Stokes back in the hut, Ollie Pope is quite literally the last man standing in between Pakistan taking complete control of this game. The 22 year old is just four runs shy of his fifth half century in the longest format of the game and the way he has played thus far, there is no reason to doubt him. Not only have 1xBet picked him as the favorite to be the best batsman for the hosts in the first innings, they have also handed him a very decent chance to hit the triple figure mark. Whether or not he delivers is a different matter altogether. But doubt him at your own peril.
Key Bowler
Anyone who saw the second innings of the ongoing match will attest to the fact that Shaheen Shah Afridi is a truly brilliant bowler. Finishing the day with astonishing figures of 1/12 in nine overs tells you all you need to know if you missed the action. However, it is not the 20 year old who ended the day as the statistically the best bowler as it was a man who is a decade senior to him that did that. Mohammad Abbas, 2/24, was the main wicket taker as he got rid of Dominic Sibley and the ever reliable Ben Stokes. It is the 30-year-old that 1xBet are trusting to deliver on Day 3 and they have even gone as far as to hand the pacer a great chance to walk away with the fifer.
The way this game has progressed so far, it has been a truly magnificent advert for Test cricket. Pakistan have established a strong foothold in the game and if they can keep up the same intensity, England would have to do very well to salvage something from this game that seems to be pulling away from them. Based on everything that took place on the Old Trafford field today, from the late Pakistan pyrotechnics to England’s mini collapse, 1xBet have put their trust in the visitors ahead of the third day of play. They believe that England will only be able to add another 30 runs before the current partnership comes to a close.
When to watch : August 7, 2020, 3.30 PM IST
Where to watch : Sony Six, Sony Six HD and Sony LIV
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