Marty Melville—AFP
Tied match’s main purpose, for tourists, was to test out players for international duty.
Pakistan’s bowlers shared the wickets as their two-day warm-up match with Worcestershire, their final fixture before next week’s third Test against England, ended in a draw.
The tourists declared their first innings on 261 for three before Worcestershire ended Friday’s first day on 30 without loss. Saturday saw Pakistan spend a day in the field as Worcestershire moved on to 260 for six before a draw was agreed.
The main purpose of this match, from Pakistan’s point of view, was to run the rule over candidates pushing for international duty and, if possible, let some of their “regulars” spend time in the middle.
This was Pakistan’s only fixture between their 330-run defeat by England in the second Test at Old Trafford—a result that left the four-match series all square at 1-1—and the third Test at Edgbaston starting on Wednesday.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore and 20-year-old Joe Clarke both made fifties for Worcestershire at the Midlands club’s New Road headquarters in Worcester, while Rahat Ali led the attack with two for 29.
Ali and fellow left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz, who took one for 40, were the only Pakistan bowlers on show to have featured in the Test series so far.
Imran Khan, Sohail Khan and spinner Zulfiqar Babar looked unlikely to force their way into the side for next week’s showpiece match in Birmingham after taking just one wicket each. And when Pakistan batted, it was Azhar Ali (81) and Shan Masood (67), both already in the Test side, who top-scored for the tourists.