Match factsAugust 11-15, 2016 Start time 11am (1000 GMT)Big
PictureLess than four weeks have passed since Pakistan wrapped up a
rousing victory at Lords in the first Test, capped by a
military-inspired set of press-ups in front of the pavilion, but they
return to London with very little of that inspirational vim remaining.
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. Trips to Manchester and Birmingham have resulted in two
strength-sapping defeats and it is now England who are flexing their
muscles ahead of the Oval encounter.From entering the series ranked
fourth in the world, and thanks to Australias unexpected capitulation in
Sri Lanka, England can suddenly see a shortcut to No. 1. That would
require victory in the final Test and a 3-1 series scoreline (as well as
West Indies to hold off India in one of their two remaining matches)
but they are moving in the right direction regardless. In contrast to
their tightly drilled ascent to No. 1 five years ago, England seem a
little surprised to have found themselves wandering around the summit so
soon - and Alastair Cook is sticking to his line that they have plenty
to learn, whatever the rankings say.An improvement on their record in
the final Test of a series is clearly the next matter to address. A draw
at The Oval will be enough to give England all nine series trophies but
a win would underline the sense of progress rather more emphatically.
In recent times, England have finished off Test tours with defeats in
Centurion, Sharjah and Barbados, while last summer they were beaten at
The Oval and Headingley. Such flakiness is unbecoming of a side with
aspirations to be the best in the world.Another reason to guard against
complacency is Pakistans good record at The Oval. Putting aside the
memory of their forfeiture in 2006 (a game in which they were well
placed), Pakistan have secured several memorable wins in south London,
including Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis reverse-swinging their way
through England in 1992 and victory on their most recent visit, six
years ago. By contrast, since England clinched the 2009 Ashes on this
ground, they have only beaten India (in 2011 and 2014), while suffering
three defeats and a draw.Pakistan will always have Lords and this tour
will be remembered for Misbah-ul-Haqs hundred, the heroics of Yasir Shah
and the return of Mohammad Amir. But they have a chance to leave with
even better memories if they can pull it all together again back in the
capital - not to mention an outside shot of reaching No. 1 themselves
with a drawn series. The drill sergeants of Abbottabad, just like
everyone else, will be watching keenly.Form guideEngland: WWLDW (last
five completed matches, most recent first)? Pakistan: LLWWWIn the
spotlight
Having struggled against Pakistans left-armers, Alex Hales finally
produced a substantial contribution with the bat in the second innings
at Edgbaston, putting on a vital century stand to help erase Englands
deficit. However, he is still waiting for the defining, three-figure
innings that will secure his tenure as Test opener for the near future.
The final Test of the English summer is often the occasion for auditions
but Hales - who has put faith in his technique - is hoping to shut the
door on prospective top-order newcomers.As the tour has gone on,
confidence in Pakistans batting has steadily eroded. The fortunes of
Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan have been divergent but they have common
cause to try and finish the series with heads and bats held high. Misbah
has coped admirably with the conditions on his first Test experience of
England but another defeat would doubtless trigger talk about his age
and the captaincy; Younis, though four years younger, is also unlikely
to be back again and, 15 years after his first tour here, is in need of
an innings to stave of similar talk of retirement.Team news
Alastair Cook said England were hoping to play the same team, which
would mean Adil Rashid and Jake Ball missing out again. James Vince has
recovered from a finger injury sustained attempting to take a catch at
Edgbaston but wont field in the slips.England (possible) 1 Alastair Cook
(capt), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 James Vince, 5 Gary Ballance, 6
Jonny Bairstow (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Stuart Broad, 10
Steven Finn, 11 James AndersonMickey Arthur hinted at various options
for Pakistans selection, with the need for a fifth bowler even more
pressing in the second of back-to-back Tests. If Iftikhar Ahmed - who
bowls offspin and decently, according to Arthur - wins a Test debut, he
would likely come into the side at Mohammad Hafeezs expense but bat in
the middle order, with Azhar Ali asked to open. A rare four-Test series
has increased the workload on Pakistans pace bowlers and there may also
be changes to the attack.Pakistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Hafeez/Iftikhar
Ahmed, 2 Sami Aslam, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt),
6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Yasir Shah, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10
Sohail Khan, 11 Rahat Ali/Wahab RiazPitch and conditions
As before the Ashes Test at The Oval last year, a distinctly
green-tinged pitch was on show (although that didnt stop Australia from
racking up 481 in an innings win) and Cook suggested it would be suited
to pace bowling, with some turn later on. In Surreys last Championship
match here, in June, spinners Zafar Ansari and Gareth Batty took 12
wickets between them. The forecast is for a warm finish to the week,
which could facilitate the surface breaking up.Stats and triviaA 3-1
series win for England will send them top of the rankings, at least
until the completion of Indias tour of the West IndiesAside from
forfeiting the 2006 Test at The Oval, Pakistan have not lost at the
ground since 1967Chris Woakes needs one more wicket to break James
Andersons record of 23 for an England bowler in a Test series against
PakistanJoe Root is 60 runs short of 4000 in Tests; if he gets there in
his next innings, he will go level with Kevin Pietersen as 14th fastest
overallQuotes
It would be a great achievement. Weve just got to focus on playing good
cricket, weve been consistent the last two games, up against it at times
but played some consistent cricket - can we have that same hunger and
determination in this game? If we can do that, weve got a good chance of
winning.Alastair Cook on Englands quest for all nine series trophiesIn
the third Test match, I believe it was some of our mistakes that let
England come back into that game. After doing so much well, we were
really in the game until the fourth day - even on the last day, until
lunch, it was looking like a draw. So the team can do it but we need to
combine those performances.Misbah-ul-Haq wants his players to focus on
finishing the series well
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If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the
dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside
“Consistency.
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The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and
European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season.
"It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week
as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting
better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the
same," he said.
Eugenie Bouchards lawsuit against the USTA could be headed for a
jury trial as the first anniversary of the accident that forced her out
of the US Open last year approaches.The process has been as slow-moving
as Bouchards effort to rebuild her singles ranking.They [USTA
officials] were stalling. Now were ready to move. Benedict Morelli,
Bouchards lawyer, told ESPN.Chris Widmaier, managing director of
corporate communications for the USTA, replied to ESPNs request for a
response with an email.Her lawyers asked for an extension, Widmaier
said. The USTA on the other hand, has remained ready, willing and able
to bring the litigation to a conclusion as expeditiously as is possible
whether through settlement discussions or a fully litigated
process.There has been some communication between the two sides.They
have indicated that they wanted to settle, Morelli said. We didnt talk
specific-specific, but lets just say their side of the conversation was
unrealistic.Bouchard, once ranked as high as No. 5, was working to
emerge from a deep slump when she slipped and fell in the empty, dark
physiotherapy room after sitting for a late-evening news conference
after a mixed doubles win on Sept. 4, 2015. Cleaners had already swabbed
down the floor with what her subsequent suit described as a slippery,
foreign and dangerous substance.Bouchard suffered a concussion and was
forced to withdraw from the tournament even though she was still in
contention in three events: singles (she had won her third-round match
that morning), doubles and mixed doubles.She returned to the tour at the
China Open at the beginning of October, but retired complaining of
concussion-related dizziness during her first-round match while trailing
Andrea Petkovic, 6-2, 1-1.
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. It was her last match of the year.Bouchard, now 22, was ranked No. 7
at the start of 2015, following a year in which she reached her highest
ranking and two major semifinals and the Wimbledon final. But her game
began to slip in the spring, and she would never recapture her
commanding form with any consistency after falling out of the top 10 in
June of 2015. By the time she fell at the US Open, she was down to No.
25.Starting fresh this year at No. 49, her ranking declined to a low of
No. 61 in late February before it began a gradual rise to its present
No. 40. Bouchard has played 50 matches in 2016 and has retired from just
one match (with an injury unrelated to her fall). In May, she reunited
with her coach at her peak, Nick Saviano.Morelli said he plans to begin
taking depositions in advance of a trial shortly after the US Open. He
accused the USTA of trying to escape its obligations on the cheap.Its
interesting that they dont want to take care of their own, Morelli said.
This is someone whos made them a lot of money.We value all of the
players, Widmaier told ESPN. We granted Eugenie Bouchard a wild card
into the Cincinnati tournament, which is the most important tune-up
tournament for the US Open, just so she can be fully prepared for this
years event.
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