James Taylor: England would be naive to underestimate Pakistan's fierce bowling attack

'Seriously good': Amir is one of four fearsome Pakistani bowlers
(Harry Trump/Getty Images)
James Taylor13 July 2016

Anyone who thinks England will have an easy ride in this Test series against Pakistan is extremely naive.

I believe England will come out on top but Pakistan have a seriously good bowling attack — and they have prepared properly for these four matches, something so few international sides are able to do because of the demands of the schedule.

They had an army-style fitness camp before travelling to England, followed by a good stint of preparation at the Ageas Bowl prior to their two tour matches, against Somerset and Sussex. So they are ready for battle.

There has been plenty of focus on Mohammad Amir, who is playing his first Test for six years, due to his ban and prison sentence for his involvement in the spot-fixing scandal of 2010.

I have discussed the merits of his return elsewhere on this page but first, I’d like to focus on his bowling. I faced Amir a long time ago, when we were playing representative cricket for our countries.

I would have been about 18 at the time and even though he was only 15 or 16, he was the best age-group cricketer in the world. We played in a global tournament and then in different series.

He had all the attributes: he swung the ball, he had great control and good pace. Anyone who can swing the ball late is very difficult to face — and Amir moves it later than most, at speeds of 85-88mph.

So how do you combat late swing? You have to hold your shape for as long as you can, and don’t commit too early to the shot. If you don’t do that, and your technique is slightly awry, you can be undone. So make sure there is no gap between bat and pad and play as late as possible. This can be easier said than done, though.

Amir’s fellow new-ball bowler, the aggressive Wahab Riaz, is another left-armer but that is where the similarity ends. We played against him recently, on England’s tour of the United Arab Emirates, when he finished the Test series with eight wickets at 43 apiece.

Wahab’s skills are highlighted when wickets are flat. He makes things happen: he has a good yorker, a good bumper, he’s quick and he reverse-swings it well. He doesn’t have nearly as much control as Amir but in those middle overs, when a partnership builds, he can do something different from the other bowlers.

So he is a wicket-taker but he will give you plenty of scoring options. He is a very fiery character who gets riled quickly. The angrier he gets, the faster he will try to bowl and I quite liked that. It gave me opportunities to cut and pull. There is nothing worse for a batsman than a bowler who gives you nothing to work with.

It’s the same with a spinner. You have to ask questions of them, as England must against leg-spinner Yasir Shah, even though he has an excellent record — 76 wickets in 12 Tests at 24.

He is the closest thing we’ve seen to Shane Warne in a while but I didn’t mind facing him. There will always be deliveries that beat you, especially on a turning pitch, so the more it spins, the more you have to put him under pressure.

When it does turn, you have to take risks, as there will always be a delivery with your name in it. And at three of the grounds in this series — Old Trafford, Edgbaston and The Oval — we have seen the ball turn towards the end of matches.

We don’t know who Pakistan’s third seamer will be but I’m sure Rahat Ali, yet another left-armer, has the skills to succeed in English conditions. I found him very tricky to face during that UAE tour.

The other name in the frame is right-armer Sohail Khan, who I’ve never faced but looks set to play at Lord’s.

The key is to have a method and trust it. Alastair Cook and Gary Ballance will have a different way of playing from an attacking batsman like Jonny Bairstow. Sometimes you can feel as though teams from the subcontinent are going through the motions but they always pounce at some stage, so when they seem to be sitting back, England have to ensure they make it count.

Amir’s done his time but we need life bans

DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images

Everyone has an opinion on whether Mohammad Amir should be playing international cricket. Here is mine.

What is done is done. He was given his ban, he has served his punishment and it is time to draw a line under it. There is no point raking over what should have happened. Those were the ICC rules at the time and Amir paid the price.

However, I believe that any similar incidents from now on should be punished with a life ban. There can be no place for his kind of behaviour in the game we love and the best way to stamp it out is with the most severe penalty.

I’m backing Jake to have a strong debut

David Rogers/Getty Images

I know Jake Ball very well from Nottinghamshire and I am certain he is ready for his Test debut.

Nobody can replace a bowler like Jimmy Anderson but Jake has the skills to perform strongly.

He is in great rhythm at the moment. He bowls quickly, aggressively, finds a horrible length for a batsman and is really confident. He gets good bounce and hits the seam.

Jake (below in England training with Moeen Ali) has done very well in domestic cricket and I hope he can grab this opportunity with both hands.

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