For 1st Test vs Pakistan England announce playing XI, ‘suspended’ Brydon Carse to get maiden cap
Without regular captain, Ben Stokes, who continues to recover from a hamstring injury sustained during a Hundred match over two months ago England will head into the first Test against Pakistan. Ollie Pope will once again lead the side, having successfully steered the team to a 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka at home.
England have handed a maiden Test cap to fast bowler Brydon Carse, who has previously dismissed both Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya in ODI format.
Apart from this, Chris Woakes returns to overseas Test cricket after two and a half years, and Gus Atkinson, who made his Test debut this summer, will also be part of the fast bowling attack.
While Stokes has been working on his fitness, he has indicated that he will not rush his return to avoid the risk of re-injury. The second Test, also in Multan, begins on October 15, and there is hope that Stokes will be fit to return for that match. The first Test against Pakistan starts on Monday, and England will be looking to make a strong start to the series. The third Test will be played in Rawalpindi from October 24.
England Playing XI for 1st Test vs Pakistan
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope ©, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse (Debut), Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir