Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali was named the player of the match in the third Test against Pakistan Getty Images

England host Pakistan in the fourth Investec test match at Kennington Oval, London on 11 August (Thursday). The hosts lead the four match series 2-1.

Where to watch live

Match starts at 11am BST. Live TV coverage is available on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports 2 HD. Click here for the live streaming link.

Overview

The exciting four-match Test series between England and Pakistan is set to come to an end, with the final game starting on 11 August (Thursday).

The hosts come into this clash on the back of a 141-run win in the third Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, a game which saw the whole team play their part with both the bat and ball. Despite facing a deficit of 103 runs in the first innings, England fought back to eventually win the game.

Key to their win was all-rounder Moeen Ali who notched up scores of 63 and 86*, while also picking up two-wickets with the ball to take home the player of the match award. What will worry the team management is the form of batsmen Alex Hales and James Vince. While Hales did score a second innings fifty, Vince is yet to reach that mark which makes his place in the line-up precarious.

Coach Trevor Bayliss is toying with the idea of playing leg spinner Adil Rashid, who might just come in place of the underperforming Steve Finn. The Three Lions can rise to number one in the Test rankings if they beat Pakistan, however that also depends on India's result against West Indies.

Azhar Ali
Azhar Ali scored his tenth Test ton at Edgbaston Getty Images

For Pakistan not much has gone right since their historic win in the first Test at Lords, with them struggling to hit those heights losing consecutive Tests in the process. Despite dominating for most periods of the last Test, they still contrived to lose, something which would need to be worked on by head coach Mickey Arthur.

There were good moments for the team at Edgbaston, with Sami Islam, Azhar Ali and Sohail Khan putting in impressive performances. Sami Islam who replaced Shan Masood, scored 82 and 70 over both the innings respectively while Azhar Ali broke his lean run of form, scoring 139 runs.

On the bowling front Sohail Khan marked his return to Test cricket after a gap of five-years, taking a maiden five-wicket haul in the first innings. However, the form of key players Younis Khan, Yasir Shah and Mohammad Amir will be a worry and with this being a must win game, they will need to step up.

Prediction

Pakistan to win

Betting Odds (betway)

  • England to win: 4/7
  • Draw: 7/2
  • Pakistan to win: 4

Team News

England

Possible XI: Alastair Cook (c), Alex Hales, Joe Root, Gary Ballance, James Vince, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Steve Finn.

Pakistan

Possible XI: Mohammad Hafeez, Sami Islam, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Sohail Khan, Mohammad Amir, Rahat Ali.

England Pakistan England cricket Pakistan cricket