England v Pakistan: 5 player battles to look forward to in the second Test

#3 James Anderson v Azhar Ali

James Anderson

Now, not many are in doubt about the identity of the bowler who is the leader of the England bowling attack but at Lord’s, James Anderson struggled to make the sort of impact that he is known for.

Needless to say, the Pakistani batsmen applied themselves brilliantly and negated the threat posed by him as well.

A bowler like Anderson is particularly troublesome for the opening batsmen and in Azhar Ali, he ran into an opener who was prepared to bide his time.

Ali played for almost three and half hours, played 136 deliveries and scored exactly 50 to lay the foundations of the Pakistan innings.

Although it was Anderson, who eventually trapped him leg before wicket, the damage had been done, and the battle between the two at Headingley is going to be another brilliant affair.

It remains to be seen if the English great can get Pakistan’s most experienced batsman early on or not.