Pak vs Eng: Pakistan elect to bat in first Test
MULTAN: On Monday, Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first in the opening Test against England at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
“We want to turn things around and get back on the right track,” said Pakistan captain Shan Masood at the toss. He mentioned that the team has chosen to play with two spinners and three fast bowlers.
After a tough series loss to Bangladesh, where they were whitewashed, Shan Masood’s team is hoping to redeem themselves on home soil, especially after losing five Test matches in a row.
This three-match Test series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25. The first two matches are being held in Multan, while the third is scheduled from October 24 to 28 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
England is being captained by Ollie Pope in this match since regular captain Ben Stokes is missing due to a hamstring injury he picked up during the Hundred League.
James Anderson, one of England’s star bowlers, is also not on the tour as he’s competing in Scotland’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
A day before the match, Pakistan revealed their playing XI, which includes three fast bowlers and mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed.
“This is the best lineup for us,” Shan Masood said. “Aamir Jamal’s addition will be useful, and we’ve kept our batting order steady for consistency.”
England’s coach, Brendon McCullum, has warned his team that repeating their 2022 success in Pakistan will be hard, especially with the extreme heat in Multan.
England’s 3-0 win in Pakistan in 2022 was impressive, as they had only won two out of 24 Test matches in Pakistan before that series.
Playing XI:
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmad.
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.
