Uphill for Pakistan

After dreadful performances in the first two matches, Pakistan fought back superbly to win the third Test at The Oval and keep the series alive. Australia are the only team to win a Test series after going down 2-0, but the inexperienced Pakistan side will believe that they can level this series, and drawn efforts against England and Australia will constitute an excellent English summer for them. Pakistan's batting still remains a worry but their potent bowling attack has proved to be a handful in helpful conditions and England will be very wary leading into the final Test at Lord's.

Judging by their past record, though, England would rather play a crucial Test match at Lord's than at any other ground. Their record over the last decade at this ground is fantastic. They have lost only to Australia and South Africa and performed impressively against all other opponents. Pakistan's last win at Lord's came in 1996, and considering their frail batting resources they will be hard-pressed to repeat that feat. The table below summarises England's performance at various home venues.

Pakistan's batting woes were thoroughly exposed in the first two Tests of the series. Mohammad Yousuf's return to the team has boosted the middle order and the batting was much better at The Oval. Yousuf's experience will be vital at Lord's as it has been a very ordinary venue for most of the other Pakistan batsmen. Pakistan's batting average is among the lowest of all teams in Tests at Lord's in the 2000s. Yousuf's batting performance at Lord's, though, has been in sharp contrast to the team's showing. He averages over 70 and is one of 14 batsmen to score a double-hundred at this ground.

England's batsmen, on the other hand, have been prolific at Lord's. They average nearly 40 at this venue, scoring 35 hundreds and 41 fifties. England's batting performance at various home venues is summarised below.

Alastair Cook batted himself into some good form ahead of the final Test by scoring a century after going eight innings without a fifty. Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Strauss have scored four centuries and average over 64 while Jonathan Trott has scored a double-century in his only Test at Lord's. Pietersen, in particular, has not had a great series and will be looking to make amends at his favourite venue. The records of the current England batsmen at Lord's indicate why they will relish the prospect of batting at this venue.

James Anderson has been in exceptional form throughout the series, and if his record at Lord's is anything to go by, he will be the biggest threat for Pakistan. Steven Finn and Graeme Swann have also produced excellent performances at this ground over the last year and this augurs well for England going into this crucial clash. Pakistan will once again rely primarily on Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir to provide the breakthroughs although Saeed Ajmal's five-wicket haul at The Oval gives them an attacking spin option.

In Tests at Lord's since 2000, pace bowlers have picked up 535 wickets at 33.64,and have performed much better than spinners, who have taken 123 wickets at 40.74.