Mickey Arthur: Alastair Cook's failure to enforce follow-on helps Pakistan

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By Tom Collomosse24 July 2016

England captain Alastair Cook has risked letting Pakistan off the hook by failing to enforce the follow-on, reckons the tourists' coach Mickey Arthur.

Even though England had a 391-run first-innings lead, Cook chose not to send Pakistan straight out to bat again after they had been dismissed for 198.

England are still huge favourites to win and square the Investec Series 1-1 but with forecasts varied for the final two days, there is still the danger their plans could be wrecked by the weather.

Arthur said: “Are we more likely to draw the game because England didn’t enforce? Probably yes. It probably gives us a better chance – even though we have to bat damn well, irrespective of the declaration.

“We fully expected that we would have to follow on. Alastair will have had his reasons. We are a long way behind in the game and we are happy he didn’t.

“But England are so far ahead that Alastair could take time out to rest his quick bowlers and that was the decision he took.”

England closed 98 for one in their second innings, 489 runs ahead, with Cook one run short of a half-century and Joe Root 23 not out.

Coach Paul Farbrace denied that Cook’s decision was influenced by the fitness of his quicks, however.

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Jimmy Anderson and Ben Stokes both came into this game after recovering from injuries but Farbrace insisted it was the condition of the wicket that made up Cook’s mind. He also hinted that the ninth-wicket stand between Wahab Riaz and captain Misbah-ul-Haq had removed any thoughts of the follow-on from Cook’s mind.

“We wanted to bat while the pitch is still good,” Farbrace said. “We don’t want to be under the pressure of having to chase a small score in the fourth innings.

“You make those decisions then you try to get on and back it up. It’s up to us to prove we got the decision right.

“Anderson and Stuart Broad didn’t bowl after lunch so they would be fresh to take the new ball when we enforced. But the longer that ninth-wicket stand went on, the more we felt we should get back in while the wicket was still good.”

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