Michael Vaughan predicts outcome of England-Pakistan Test series

LEEDS: Former England captain Michael Vaughan has predicted the outcome of the three-match Test series between hosts England and Pakistan, which runs from August 19 to September 13, with the series opener scheduled for Wednesday at Headingley.

Vaughan took to social media platform 'X', where he backed the home side to complete a whitewash against Pakistan, predicting a commanding 3-0 series victory after a fan asked him to forecast the result.

“England will win 3-0,” Vaughan wrote.

The series marks Pakistan’s first red-ball tour of England since 2020, when the two sides played a three-match series. England won 1-0, while the other two Tests ended in draws.

Pakistan last won a Test series in England in 1996, when Wasim Akram’s side secured a 2-1 victory in the three-match series.

That triumph marked Pakistan’s third successive Test series victory in England, following their 1987 series win under Imran Khan and their 1992 success under Javed Miandad.

Historically, England and Pakistan have faced each other in 92 Test matches. England have won 30, Pakistan 23, while 39 matches have ended in draws.

Squads:

England [for two Tests]: Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith and Josh Tongue.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Aamer Jamal, Ali Usman, Awais Zafar, Azan Awais, Ghazi Ghori, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique.