England Announces Squad for Pakistan Test Series Ben Stokes Returns
England will tour Pakistan for a three-match series, part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), scheduled to run from October 7 to 28.
The England squad features two uncapped players Durham’s Brydon Carse and Essex’s Jordan Cox while spinners Rehan Ahmed and Jack Leach are also returning to the Test side.
Meanwhile, England’s regular Test captain Ben Stokes, who missed the recently-concluded series against Sri Lanka due to an injury which he sustained in The Hundred also returned to the side. Still, his participation would be subject to fitness.
Furthermore, left-handed opener Zak Crawley, recovering from a thumb injury was also among England’s 17-member squad for the Pakistan Tests.
Crawley sustained the injury while attempting a catch in the last Test of the three-match series against West Indies.
England will tour Pakistan with momentum as the side recently secured series victories over West Indies and Sri Lanka while the Green Shirts succumbed to a new low after losing the two-match home series against Bangladesh 2-0.
England last toured Pakistan in 2022 for a three-match Test series and blew away the home side, securing a whitewash.
England Men’s Test Squad
Ben Stokes, Durham, Captain; Rehan Ahmed, Leicestershire; Gus Atkinson, Surrey; Shoaib Bashir, Somerset; Harry Brook, Yorkshire; Brydon Carse, Durham; Jordan Cox, Essex; Zak Crawley, Kent; Ben Duckett, Nottinghamshire; Josh Hull, Leicestershire; Jack Leach, Somerset; Ollie Pope, Surrey; Matthew Potts, Durham; Joe Root, Yorkshire; Jamie Smith, Surrey; Olly Stone, Nottinghamshire; Chris Woakes, Warwickshire.
It is worth mentioning here that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) may announce a revised schedule for the upcoming Test series against England due to the unavailability of the venues.
It was reported last week that the second Test of the series which was originally scheduled at the National Stadium in Karachi may get relocated to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) but PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi refuted the claims and confirmed that all the three matches will be played in Pakistan.
