For not only the touring team but also for the hosts, a short two match Test series is never a fair deal for the fact that if both win a Test each and then if there isn’t a decider then the whole exercise is of course is nothing less than in futility which does not really make much sense to me.This is what the case is on this tour after England trounced Pakistan by an innings and 55 runs at Headingley in the second Test to level the series.

Let us not forget though, that Pakistan, beyond anyone’s expectation, were able to strike the first blow when beating England at Lord’s by a comprehensive margin of nine wickets which indeed provided them the edge to cash on to it.

But initial tactical mistakes combined with unconvincing batting in the first innings, Pakistan let England come on top of them to dictate with both ball and bat to come to a position of levelling the series which they did as impressively as Pakistan did in the first Test.

The success will of course take Joe Root’s team to face India in a full five match series later in the summer in a much healthier frame of mind.

And for Pakistan to come out of this brief English experience with the credit of drawing the series would be a kind of start to their long and busy schedule of Test and ODI’s in which they will have to build on to establish their credentials at the highest level.

Pakistan have lost the last Test but not the series and that is where we ought to admire their combined effort on this tour which culminated with their honour intact and also with more admirers of this young team in this country and at home.

We have got to support them because of the fact that they are in a rebuilding process with such stalwarts like Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq now retired.

Their experience here would also keep them in good stead for the fact that in youngsters like Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Abbas and Usman Salahuddin they have at least discovered potentials to be the future stars.

Mohammad Amir appeared to have found his touch and Hasan Ali looked as determined and aggressive as he has always been.

What was most disappointing for me was the performance of the experienced Azhar Ali and Sarfraz Ahmed who continued to slide down the hill to leave much impression for those who had a lot more expectations from them It is now important that those in control of this team put their head together to iron out the weak links of within the batting order.

I, for one, am not happy Azhar Ali being wasted as an opener and he would do a lot better batting down the order and with the form that Sarfraz is in, he should promote Shadab Khan above him to strengthen the late middle order.

Like Pakistan, the English are as much uncertain of their batting line up. Except for their captain and Alistair Cook there is plenty more work to be done to face the Indians and their spinners.

Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes have the potential to rise to the top and for them there is plenty to learn with such experienced bowlers around like James Anderson and Stuart Broad who looked different from what we saw at Lord’s.

The bright light in the end was indeed the choice of Mohammad Abbas as the man of the series which he richly deserved for taking ten wickets in two Tests and ending the tour with 19 wickets if we add the nine wickets he took against Ireland in Pakistan’s win.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2018