England's return to Rawalpindi evokes memories of one of their most memorable away victories, achieved here nearly two years ago, potentially providing a morale boost for some players. 'That was a mega win, wasn't it?' said Harry Brook. 'Hopefully, we can harness some of that confidence and momentum for this game.' Ben Stokes felt a surge of energy as he revisited the ground where, in the final moments of the last day, Jack Leach secured a remarkable victory. Or so he thought. 'When we arrived for the first Test, I said to Leachy, 'Oh, some great memories here!' he recalled. 'And it was the wrong place.'
On Tuesday, at the correct location, Stokes reminisced again. 'Wherever you travel around the world, if certain events occur, you're always going to remember them,' Stokes said. 'Every player has grounds where they can instantly recall something special that happened to them.' If Pakistan's dressing room lacks similar memories, it's not just because they lost that game, but also due to the changes they've undergone since. There's a sense that the state of the two teams could be illustrated by a GCSE-level video on kinetic particle theory: one side has experienced relatively cool, smooth, and calm movement, while the other has been subjected to so much heat that its parts now move chaotically and unpredictably.
The appeal of this match lies partly in the opportunity to see what extraordinary new challenges they might face next. One thing England have in their favor is consistency. 'We just need to keep playing the way we have been, and the results will take care of themselves,' said Brook. 'Our style of play over the last few years has been entertaining, drawing crowds and viewers. If we maintain that, the results will follow.' They enter this game with the same top six from 2022, the same coach, captain, and guiding philosophy. Pakistan, on the other hand, face a governing body in flux, with only one of the top four from that game, a different captain and coach, and a team profoundly reorganized just ten days ago without consulting them.
To add to the chaos, they've equipped the ground staff with a variety of novel tools—patio heaters, oversized fans, sharp-toothed rakes, and even a cuddly toy—and invited them to experiment on the pitch. Yet, the series is tied. Sometimes, desperation can be a significant advantage. One thing England will want to change entirely is their luck. It's been seven games and over three months since they last won a toss, and this one could decide the series. Last week, Pakistan took a series of wild gambles that hinged entirely on winning the toss and managed to succeed. As a result, they neutralized England's greatest strength—their batting on flat surfaces—while emphasizing their own—spin bowling on turning pitches.
'I wouldn't say it was a case of win the toss, win the game, but it was probably a 65-35 toss,' said England coach Brendon McCullum in Multan. While the pitch preparation for this match makes it hard to predict what might happen—'It might turn early, it might be a good pitch to start with, who knows?' said Brook—it's expected to be only marginally less decisive.
'The toss in the subcontinent plays a bigger role than anywhere else in the world,' Stokes said. 'I don't think we'll have as extreme conditions [as in Multan] as the game progresses—it will be a day one wicket when we start, not day six. It looks like it will be a pretty decent wicket for the first couple of days, but there's not much grass to hold everything together. A couple of days' traffic on there, footholes and such—it'll be interesting to see how it goes.' England have made a couple of gambles of their own this time, betting firstly on Stokes's fitness—picking as their second seamer someone who hasn't bowled more than 20 overs in a match since their last visit to Rawalpindi in December 2022—and then on their 20-year-old leg-spinning wildcard Rehan Ahmed.
'Leg spinners have an amazing ability to break a game open,' Stokes said. 'Having his batting ability lower down the order is also a massive bonus. The way Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir have bowled has been fantastic in these first two Tests. Adding Rehan's free spirit and desperation to change the game every time he gets the ball in his hand is a massive bonus for us.'
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