All roads lead to the Lords

In a few hours’ time Pakistan is to play its first test match against England at Lords where every cricketer worth his salt wants to play. The Lords is to cricket what the House of Commons is to parliamentary democracy.
The visit to England of every Pakistani cricket team had always been of added significance. The English pitches are difficult to play on by even the best batsmen because there is turn as well as bounce in them. In the same manner they can turn into bowling paradise if the bowlers could bowl with proper line and length.
Jimmy Anderson is the most dangerous bowler in the business today and Pakistani batsmen would have to use their foot work to the maximum to tame him. On his day Broad can also create anxious moments for them. In Cook and Roots, the England team have reliable batsmen who can pile up big totals for the home side.
Mohammad Amir would be the mainstay of our bowling. He is capable of wrecking the batting line of England single handedly if he played to his full potential. He will be assisted by Yasir Shah who has already proved himself to be a top class spinner.
Let us hope that the experience of Younas Khan and Misbah would come in handy for our cricket team One recalls the first visit of Pakistan’s cricket team to England back in 1954 under the leadership of Abdul Hafeez Kardar. In that cricket series Fazal Mahmood had mesmerised the England’ batsmen with his leg cutters which were unplayable. Who knows Mohammad Amir and Yasir Shah follow suit this time round and make things difficult for the English batsmen?
POSTSCRIPT: Many members of Sharif family flew into London on the eve of Eid to be around the prime minister during eid festivity. They would have looked better had they stayed back in their country on this religious occasion and celebrated the day with their own people. Mian Nawaz Sharif is up and kicking as would be evident from his walks off and on in the Oxford street London and his shopping sprees in the posh departmental stores in the Britain ‘s capital. A terminally ill person cannot afford to indulge in such outings. He could have come back to Pakistan for Eid instead of avoiding his countrymen. He had better man up and stare the crisis in its eyes rather than taking refuge behind political expediencies.