As England gears up for three Test matches against Pakistan, with the first and second games set to take place in Multan and the third in Rawalpindi, it’s worth noting that the last time England played Pakistan in whites, they thrashed the men in green, winning 3-0 in 2022. That was the first time any visiting side had achieved such a clean sweep against Pakistan.
However, now the Three Lions saw a setback just before the series, as their key player Ben Stokes is not playing in the first Test match starting from October 7, with Ollie Pope set to captain the side. But what is the reason behind this?
Why Ben Stokes is not playing vs Pakistan
England’s superstar all-rounder Ben Stokes tore his left hamstring while batting during The Hundred in August, which was the reason he did not play test series against Sri Lanka last month. And now also facing issues ahead of the first Test against Pakistan. Although he was seen practising with the team, but he couldn’t find himself fit for the first game. According to him, he is not yet game-ready.
“I’ve not quite managed to get game-ready. There is a lot that has to go into my rehab programme. We reached a certain point, but looking at the bigger picture and physically where I’m at, I’m not quite ready to play,” he told Sky Sports.
Pakistan Playing XI for 1st Test vs Engalnd
Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed.
England Playing XI for 1st Test vs Pakistan
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.
PAK Vs ENG Live Streaming
The Pakistan vs England 1st Test match is set to start on 7th October at 10:30 AM (IST). The match will be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Fans in the UK can catch the live broadcast of the Test series on Sky Sports Network, with live streaming available on Sky Sports Main Event. In India, viewers can live-stream the match through the FanCode app and website, as well as the Tamasha app.
