England v Pakistan, 2nd Test, Edgbaston, day 4 - England continue to dominate Pakistan

Until Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali came together at the crease, Pakistan looked competitive enough to claw back into the game. But Moeen and Jonny took the game away from Pakistan and put England in a very strong position. Jonny was counterattacking while Moeen flayed down a Pakistan attack which lacked intent and were not backed up by their captain Misbah-ul-Haq.

In the final session, when things might have changed in favour of Pakistan, Misbah shifted to runs containment rather than searching for wickets. Now this is defensive captaincy. Containment of runs does little favour in Test matches, but more often, they prove costly. Only the intent to fetch wickets halt the flow of runs and put pressure on the opposing teams.

The Pakistani bowlers are attacking and containment of runs is not their cup of tea. Moreover, Misbah should have watched how Imran Khan used Abdul Qadir during the England series in 1982 when he was struggling. Use of popping crease, change of angles and aggressive field setting helped Qadir immensely. When a captain finds the going gets tough, he should not be defensive, but keep on attacking. A pragmatic mindset gives you nothing. You can bloom flowers via an aggressive intent during tough situations.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar