Pakistan’s likely playing XI for second England Test
The match will be played in Multan from December 9
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has stated that the home team’s lineup for the second Test against England is “almost finalised”.
The second Test of the three-match series will begin in Multan on December 9.
Injured pacer Haris Rauf is likely to be replaced by Mohammad Wasim Jr or Faheem Ashraf. However, the final decision in this regard will be taken tomorrow.
"We are yet to decide whether Mohammad Wasim Jr or Faheem Ashraf will play the Multan Test," Azam said during a press conference.
"The pitch of the Multan Test is dry and looks friendlier towards spinners. The old ball will help reverse swing," he added.
Pakistan’s likely lineup for second Test:
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr/Faheem Ashraf, Saud Shakeel, Zahid Mahmood and Naseem Shah.
It must be noted that England took full advantage of winning the toss — and their batting depth — to win the first Test by 74 runs Monday on a dead Rawalpindi wicket that offered nothing to the bowlers.
Multan, however, despite not hosting a Test match for 16 years, could provide more spin if recent domestic matches are anything to go by.
Rawalpindi yielded 1,768 runs in four innings — the third most in Test history — with seven individual centuries and five 50s.
But Multan helped spinners in the last first-class match played there, with former Test spinner Yasir Shah taking five wickets in each innings.
The provincial authorities have issued a fog alert for the next few days, which could eat into playing time. Meanwhile, bag light will also be a factor during the Test match.
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