Event of the Day: England versus Pakistan
Our event of the day is the opening day of the 1st Test match between England and Pakistan at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. The second match of the two-Test series between Pakistan and England will be played at Headingley in Leeds at the beginning of June. In their tour matches so far, Pakistan have drawn against Kent and beaten Northamptonshire. In mid-May, they beat Ireland by five wickets in Dublin in the hosts’ first Test match. In their final warm-up for the clash with England, Pakistan drew a two-day match with Leicestershire over the weekend. The English side have lost five and drawn two of their last seven Tests but all have been away from home – in Australia and New Zealand. At home, they have won four out of their last five, the last coming in September 2017 against the West Indies.
The Pakistanis have won seven of their last ten encounters with the English in Test cricket and on their last series in England in 2016 each side won two matches. Compared to this period, Pakistani are missing three important players – Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan have retired, while Yasir Shah is injured. England’s opening batsman Alastair Cook is set to make his 153rd consecutive Test outing which will equal Allan Border’s record. The 20-year-old off-spinner Dom Bess will make his Test debut. Bowler James Anderson enjoys playing at Lord’s, having taken 90 wickets from his 21 previous appearances there. It should be an exciting start to the Test series in London.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the NBA Playoffs match between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors at the Toyota Center in Houston. Ahead of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals the series is tied at 2-2. In MLB, the Cleveland Indians take on the Houston Astros at Progressive Field in Cleveland. The 2018 Giro d’Italia continues with the 196km long stage 18 from Abbiategrasso to Prato Nevoso. It’s the first day at both the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth as well as the PGA Tour’s Fort Worth Invitational at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.In tennis, it’s Day 5 of the ATP Tour Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open at Tennis Club de Genève in Geneva; and it’s Day 5 of the WTA Tour Internationaux de Strasbourg at Tennis Club de Strasbourg in Strasbourg. In the NRL the Broncos host the Eels at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Fixture
Photos by England Cricket; Pakistan Cricket