On Tuesday 10 September, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced a strong 17-man England Test squad for the upcoming tour of Pakistan in October.
The England national cricket team is all set to tour Pakistan for a three-match Test series after recently defeating the West Indies national cricket team and Sri Lanka national cricket team in the home Test series.
The first Test will be played on October 7 in Multan, while the second Test will be held in Karachi on October 15. Furthermore, the third and final Test will be played in Rawalpindi on October 24.
Notably, there were reports that one of the Test matches would be shifted to Abu Dhabi due to ongoing construction works at Pakistan venues. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi had denied those reports and stated that all the matches of the Test series between Pakistan and England will be played in the country.
However, the ECB, in its official press release, stated that the Pakistan Cricket Board is yet to confirm the venues.
“The venues for the three-match series are yet to be confirmed; an announcement from the Pakistan Cricket Board is expected later this week.”
Meanwhile, England captain Ben Stokes will return to Pakistan along with Zak Crawley as they are recovering well from their respective injuries. Notably, Stokes suffered a hamstring tear while Crawley fractured his right little finger.
Eight players who were involved in a shock 3-0 win in the 2022 Test series in Pakistan will tour the country again. Those players are Rehan Ahmed, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Ben Stokes.
Also Read: ENG vs AUS: England’s starting XI announced for first T20I, 3 players to make debuts
Jack Leach returns to England Test squad for Pakistan tour
Veteran spinner Jack Leach has returned to the Test squad after being sidelined for a significant period of time. This is his first selection in the Test squad since January 2024. Also, Rehan Ahmed, who made his Test debut in Karachi during the last tour of Pakistan, has returned to the team.
England will travel to Pakistan for the Test series with two players who have not played for the national team, as Brydon Carse and Jordan Cox have been named in the squad. Another important development that emerged from the squad announcement was the absence of Dan Lawrence.
Notably, he was dropped from the squad after his disappointing performance at home opening the innings in the Sri Lanka series. He returned with scores of 30, 34, 9, 7, 5 and 35 in the six innings and disappointed head coach Brendon McCullum.
Talking about Pakistan National Cricket Team, they were recently defeated at home by Bangladesh National Cricket Team and they will be under pressure going into the upcoming Tests.
England squad for Pakistan Test series: Ben Stokes (C), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.