Whatever happens on the final day of this game there will be enormous pressure on the home side to get a result in Karachi. The curator there has been told to prepare two pitches, one for the quicks and one for the spinners, and whichever we play on there is no doubt that it will be harder and quicker than anything we have seen so far. Wasim also maintains that for some reason there is more reverse swing on grounds at sea level than anywhere else. It could be that Karachi will see a wholesale change from the type of attritional cricket that we have seen so far. And when games are dominated by spin you need the maximum time available to win.
Results can be as rare as a good night out in Faisalabad.
The game in Karachi, where the emphasis will be on pace and reverse swing, will represent England's best chance of winning a Test match in Pakistan. For the first time ever, England's pace attack is as expert in reverse swing as Pakistan's. Generally the quicker you bowl, and the quicker your arm is, the more reverse swing you are likely to get. Both have quick arms and the ability to lower them in delivery and bowl a devastating yorker. If conditions demand then Mathew Hoggard may well come into the equation.