England v Pakistan 2nd Test: Anderson can wreak havoc on return to set-up

Sam Barnard, Assistant Sports Editor | July 20, 2016

England v Pakistan

Anderson return to give England lift

James Anderson returns for England ahead of their second Test against Pakistan, in a bid to overturn a 1-0 deficit after losing a thriller by 75 runs at Lord’s, and on his home Old Trafford ground.

According to reports, skipper Alastair Cook and coach Trevor Bayliss wanted their star bowler to feature last time out, but the selectors deemed the Lancastrian unfit.

With Anderson now fit and raring to go, the 33-year-old, who will most likely replace Jake Ball in the XI, tops Coral’s market to be best with the ball for England in the first innings at 5/2.

Captain Cook, though, is the sole survivor for the hosts from their last battle with Pakistan on this ground a decade ago. He played a huge part in that duel, so can he do so at Old Trafford again?

The now-opener managed a terrific 127 at number three in the order back in 2006 and top scored for his team, so is 3/1 to get the most first innings runs once more.

Can Root return to form?

At 11/4, though, Joe Root is the favourite, and the Yorkshire star will be desperate for runs after a relatively quiet summer at the crease.

Two more stars have been added to England’s squad for this second Test, as Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid aim to get a recall.

After seeing how well spinner Yasir Shah did for Pakistan at Lord’s, Bayliss has hinted that he could go for two slow bowlers at Old Trafford, with Rashid in line to partner Moeen Ali.

“I’ve always thought of playing two spinners [at home], at some stage,” the Australian said. “Pakistan have three left-arm pace bowlers, who created rough outside the off stump for Moeen.

“So looking ahead, if we did happen to have two spinners, they could both play an important part for us.”

Will Bayliss go for one or two spinners?

Leg breaker Rashid is a tempting 4/1 shout to be top England bowler while Ali, who took just two wickets last time, is 6/1.

One man who is almost certain to keep his place, though, is Chris Woakes, who’s been a revelation since being picked against Sri Lanka earlier in the summer. The all-rounder claimed an impressive 11 dismissals in the first Test, and is priced at 11/4, along with Stuart Broad.

As for the tourists, spinner Shah understandably tops Pakistan’s bowling market at 15/8, while left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir (5/2) and Rahat Ali (7/2) also showed glimpses of their ability at Lord’s.

Misbah making a mockery of his age

In terms of batting, evergreen captain Misbah-ul-Haq was the star of the show, after his first innings century at the grand age of 42 helped put his side on the front foot. He’s joint-favourite at 7/2 to get the most runs again, along with fellow veteran Younis Khan.

You can back Misbah at a highly tempting price in Coral’s enhanced wincast to be top Pakistan batsman in the first innings and his side win once more at 16/1.

Although England (10/11 match favourites) triumphed last time out against the Men in Green (11/4) at Old Trafford, they lost the time before and drew (5/2) in each of the other three occasions.

Related

Check out our cricket section for coverage of Pakistan’s Summer Tour of England.

Coral’s top tip: Anderson is a tasty 5/2 price to be best England bowler in the first innings on his return.