England will head into the first Test against Pakistan without their regular captain, Ben Stokes, who continues to recover from a hamstring injury sustained during a Hundred match over two months ago. Ollie Pope will once again lead the side, having successfully steered the team to a 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka at home.
‘Suspended’ Brydon Carse?
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. Carse served a ban earlier this year for his betting activities. In May, the 29-year-old was suspended from all cricket for 16 months, with 13 months suspended, after admitting to placing bets on cricket matches, including Durham games in which he was not playing. Despite the suspension, Carse was allowed to continue training and marked his return to action with a century against Somerset in August. The 29-year-old also featured in the recent white-ball series against Australia.
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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. In the batting department, Zak Crawley will rejoin Ben Duckett at the top of the order after missing the Sri Lanka Tests due to a fractured finger. Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir and left-arm orthodox Jack Leach will be the regular spinners in the side.
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 (C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse (Debut), Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir
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