ONE step ahead, Pakistan with their convincing victory at Lord’s in the first Test have galvanised themselves to ambush an embarrassed England team in the second and last Test to hopefully win a series here for the first time in 22 years.

This of course should not be beyond them if they raise themselves to a level from where they could once again outsmart Joe Root’s struggling brigade into submission.

Sarfraz Ahmed and company have already taken a good measure of their opponents while reaching the victory stand within less than three and a half days asserting their supremacy in every department of the game.

Which to the surprise of all those who doubted their ability and talent had come as a surprise package.

This their total annihilation of the home team in their own back garden merits not only huge appreciation but also promises more success round the corner.

No matter what people say about the shortcomings of Pakistan’s domestic cricket set-up, we ought to accept the reality that this same maligned system has for long been producing talent in abundance which is on display here too in this series.

It wasn’t as easy as people may think to come here in different playing conditions with raw talent and with no experience and then prove to the world that if a team is combined well and think alike then success does become a reality.

To put into practice the skills that one learns and the discipline that goes with is what in the end matters. The Pakistan team on this tour are blessed with those qualities which have so far kept them in good shape in their competition against England and are likely to keep them going.

Critics here have already started to feel that having admired how well Sarfraz and his men have played the game at Lord’s.

As a result England coach Trevor Bayliss is being questioned, out-of-form opener Mark Stoneman has been dropped and the former England captain Michael Vaughan is even calling for experienced fast bowler Stuart Broad to be dropped.

England in their last eight Tests haven’t won any and that does not speak well of their recent form especially when they are scheduled to play India in five Tests later this summer.

Pakistan on the other hand are in no mood to let this opportunity of winning a series slip and would like to sign off with their flag flying high. To me they are poised to dent England’s pride once again.

Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Abbas, Hasan Ali and Faheem Ashraf or Shadab Khan may not have that kind of rating as Wasim Akram, Wasim Akram, Imran Khan, Abdul Qadir or Yasir Shah held but these young bowlers certainly have the ability to strike with their accuracy while consistently bowling good line and length.

Babar Azam’s injury is a sad loss but others like Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Shadab and Faheem plus Sarfraz -- if he strikes form -- do present a kind of impressive combination on any surface.

It seems Usman Salahuddin would replace Babar. Usman has shown with his form in domestic cricket that he has the potential to play at this level for his country. Fakhar Zaman is also in picture.

I haven’t forgotten Pakistan beating Australia in a Test at Headingley in 2010 to square the two-Test series; and I remember well Shai Hope of West Indies scoring a Test century in each innings of the Test here to become the first to do so in Tests or first-class cricket at this venue.

If Hope without experience of this venue can do that then so could our own batsmen.

Let us hope that Pakistan keep the momentum going to strike a final blow.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2018