Pak Test captain Azhar Ali says Eng top-order has been 'fragile' since Cook's retirement

Azhar Ali has said that England's top-order is fragile since the retirement of Test specialist Alastair Cook. The former English skipper and iconic opening batsman had called it a day after the five-match Test series against India at home in September 2018. England had won that series comprehensively by a 4-1 margin. Pakistan will be visiting England for a three-match Test series that will be followed by a three-match T20I series between July 30 to September 2, 2020.

'Their top-order has been fragile': Azhar Ali

"Their bowling attack is brilliant in their own conditions and there is no doubt about it. Other than Jofra Archer we have faced all of them - Broad, Anderson, Woakes, Stokes and even Wood was there, but we have still won against them," ESPNcricinfo quoted Ali as saying."Looking at their batting, their top order has been fragile for some time since Alastair Cook retired. They have tried a lot of combinations lately and might be looking a bit more settled, but they haven't been really confident with it. So there is something for us in it to look at," he added.

Despite admitting their opponents have 'tons of experience' under their belt, Ali expressed confidence in Pakistan's bowlers saying they can give trouble to 'any team in the world'.

"In terms of the number of games, of course, England have tons of experience in their bowling. But we have the skills: they [our bowlers] are young and have a lot to offer. They can give trouble to any team in the world. In a very short time, they have achieved a lot and that is a good sign," Ali said.

"You can't buy experience immediately, and for that you obviously have to play more, but then we have a very experienced coaching staff with Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmed. Their expertise and knowledge can be utilised and they will be helping them. So I believe, when this combo of experience and skill is brought together, that we can produce a great result. I am confident about this," he added. 

Ali will be leading the Test side while batting superstar Babar Azam will be the captain in the game's shortest format. Azam was also appointed as the ODI skipper by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) last month. The England-Pakistan series will be succeeding the England-West Indies series that will be played from July 8 to 28. The West Indian players are already in England where they have started training for the upcoming three-match Test series.

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(With ANI Inputs)

(Image Courtesy: AP)