Sigh, no one would have wanted rain to halt the match's proceedings on Day 4. Such is the unpredictability of the English weather that a sunny weather forecast is often wrong and it rains cats and dogs. We cannot expect a favourable outcome in this Test match with only a day's play left and 3 innings to complete. This means that Pakistan will not be able to win the Test series, ruing their missed chances in the 1st Test match. Past is a foregone conclusion, and they must focus on the next Test match with a short turnaround.
Who are the favourites?
England were the firm favourites in this Test match due to the following reasons-
1) The bench strength of England is superior to that of Pakistan. They have players with similar skill sets to replace the regular ones.
2) Potent first-change bowlers- Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer are the perfect first-change bowlers to complement the likes of Broad and Anderson. With minimal loose balls, they will make the Pakistani batsmen work harder for runs with their immaculate accuracy and prowess.
3) England has momentum on its side. The last time a team managed to beat England in England in a Test series was Sri Lanka in 2014. They have managed to keep every visiting team quiet.
4) England is much more experienced in these conditions. Also, their record at the Rose Bowl in Tests is enviable this century.
However, the rain has played spoilsport and a draw looks the most probable outcome in this Test match with 3 innings to go and only a day's play left.
Scorecard Predictions for Day 5
England will go into a one-day mode and score 300 in 55 overs, leaving Pakistan with a trail of 64 runs. They will score 105/5 with the Test match drawn.
Toss Prediction
Expect the captain winning the toss to bat first even if there are some cloud covers and a green top. The average first-innings score is 273. Also, another factor is that the average fourth-innings score is 180 which prompts the skipper winning the toss to bat first and put the opposition under pressure in the last innings.
Match Winning Chances
Albeit England were the favourites to win this Test match, it is highly unlikely that either of the 2 teams will get a result in their favour. A draw looks the most probable out of the 3 possible match outcomes.
England- 1%
Pakistan- 1%
Draw- 98%
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