Pakistan v England: Ben Stokes' side deserve series win - Jonathan Agnew
- Published
England have won eight of nine Test matches under the leadership of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum
The last time England played away from home, I was deeply concerned about where they were heading.
The series defeat by West Indies, sealed with a 10-wicket thumping in Grenada, was like a car crash. There was no coach and it was obvious Joe Root could not continue as captain. The 'red-ball reset' was a shambles.
If you had told me then that nine months later England would have eight wins from nine Tests, including two in Pakistan, I would have said there was absolutely no chance.
And yet, here we are in Multan, with England having earned as many wins in Pakistan in a week as they had in the previous 61 years.
It is an incredible transformation. To be 2-0 up and have the series won is a huge achievement. No England team has ever won two Tests in an away series against Pakistan and their last victory against the same opponents outside of the UK came 22 years ago.
In the intervening period, and including some matches played in the United Arab Emirates, some very talented England sides, captained by Michael Vaughan, Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook, have left with nothing.
The success of Ben Stokes' team is a reflection of the way they play. The transformation from the rabble beaten in Grenada has been built on instilling unwavering confidence into the players.
What England say about players having the licence to play with freedom is not new. However, the crucial difference now to when it was said in the past was back then there was always a nagging suspicion it wasn't quite true, that maybe if someone did play a poor shot or make a mistake, they would be dropped.
There is certainly not that feeling under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.
Even after England pulled off the memorable win in the first Test in Rawalpindi, it was hard not to be concerned the second Test was shaping up to have all the ingredients of a trademark defeat.
There was lots going on off the pitch, especially with regard to the tight security surrounding everyone who had travelled to Multan. There was gunfire heard near the team hotel the day before the Test started.
Pakistan, beaten on a flat pitch in the first Test, wanted the Multan surface to turn and had their wish granted. There were questions over England's selection, with Ben Foakes omitted.
In Abrar Ahmed, Pakistan had a debuting mystery spinner the likes of which England have crumbled to on many previous occasions.
And yet, despite Abrar claiming 11 wickets in the match, England prevailed.
They batted with their trademark positivity on day one to reach 281 in only 51.4 overs, when some England teams of the past would have poked around for the same amount of time but half as many runs.
Then, after that, England were able to adapt. Stokes was happy to set more defensive fields for spinner Jack Leach on the second morning, and England were rewarded. Later that day, Stokes and Harry Brook curbed their attacking intent to steadily build England's lead.
If we are being picky, it could be said England missed their chance to completely nail the match down on the third morning, when they lost five wickets for 19 runs. The same happened on the second day in Rawalpindi, when they fell 100 runs short of the target of 750 they set themselves to get.
Positivity and ruthlessness are not mutually exclusive. There will be lots of bravado coming from the England camp about "that is the way we play", but they themselves will know it is a small area of improvement.
The personification of England's success is, of course, Stokes. He is an inspirational leader, whose style is to set the example. That makes him an easy man to follow.
The all-rounder has taken to captaincy ridiculously easily. It is not like these wins have fallen into his lap - he has had to work for them. His tactics, especially on the final day in Rawalpindi, have been outstanding, like nothing printed in any coaching manual.
Stokes has a kindred spirit in McCullum. They are two men who do not let any outside forces affect the team. All the players respect them immensely and therefore buy into the mantra.
England already have a place in the record books, but head to Karachi for the third Test chasing another piece of history - no team has ever recorded three wins in the same Test series in Pakistan.
There is room for some tinkering with the XI. Foakes should come back into the team in place of Will Jacks. Ollie Pope has done well behind the stumps, but Foakes is England's number one and the best keeper in the world.
England should also consider taking a look at Rehan Ahmed, the 18-year-old leg-spinner, at the expense of Leach.
They are due to play five Tests in India next winter and will need at least one more spinner, so what better place to learn about Ahmed than on the sub-continent with a series already won?
England know all about Leach. He bowls too many balls that good players can hit for four. If Ahmed really does have potential, it would be a waste for him to come here and sit out all three Tests.
We are less than a year on from England's hammering in Australia, but Stokes' side only have four more Tests before they try to regain the urn - Karachi, two in New Zealand, then a meeting with Ireland.
It is hard to see England being derailed in that time. The challenge for them will be mental. Can they get themselves into a place where they really believe they can defeat Australia, after being beaten so badly down under?
Australia will be bang up for it, believing they can win in England for the first time since 2001. They will arrive with a very good, experienced bowling attack and will take some beating.
So too will England. I'm already very excited.
Jonathan Agnew was speaking to BBC Sport's chief cricket writer Stephan Shemilt in Multan.
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