Mudassar Nazar confident of Pakistan's chances against England despite recent struggles

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Former cricketer and coach Mudassar Nazar remains optimistic about Pakistan's chances in the upcoming Test series against England, despite the team's recent poor performances at home. 

In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Mudassar acknowledged Pakistan's struggles but he believes that the absence of England's fast bowler Mark Wood, who was expected to be a major threat with his 90+ mph pace, will provide Pakistan with an advantage.

"There's no doubt that Pakistan's recent performances haven't been that great, especially at home, which is quite surprising. There are a few reasons for this, but I'm hopeful that our team will perform well against England this time. Their main threat was going to be Mark Wood, who bowls over 90 mph, delivers bouncers, yorkers, and great reverse swing. I was a bit worried about him, but unfortunately, he's injury-prone and will miss this series, so Pakistan stands a good chance if we can score runs," Mudassar said.

Mudassar also highlighted Pakistan's potential to outplay England using spin, particularly with the inclusion of spinner Noman Ali. 

"Maybe Pakistan can beat them with spin, especially with Noman selected, who is a fine bowler," he further added.

However, Mudassar cautioned against underestimating England's batting strength, especially their opener Ben Duckett, who he believes could pose a serious challenge with his aggressive batting. 

"A major threat for us could be Ben Duckett because he plays very fast and can dominate. Their opening pair is strong, and Zak Crawley is in form. All of their batsmen are good, so Pakistan faces a threat, but we also have the home advantage, and that should matter," Mudassar stated.

Mudassar expressed concern about Pakistan's reverse swing, an area in which the team traditionally excels. 

"Now, we have to see what our pace bowling does, which has been a surprising factor because our bowlers aren't getting reverse swing, something Pakistan is known for," he concluded.

It is worth noting that the Test series between Pakistan and England is set to begin on October 7th in Multan. The national team aims to make a positive comeback following a disappointing 2-0 whitewash against Bangladesh.