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The ECB announced England's playing XI for the first Test of the three-match series against Pakistan in Multan. Star all-rounder Ben Stokes, who is still recovering from a hamstring tear, will miss the series opener. Ollie Pope, who led England to a 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka last month, will lead the Poms in the first Test starting on Monday (October 7).Zak Crawley is returning to the playing XI after missing the previous series against Sri Lanka due to injury, and spinner Jack Leach is also making a comeback. Leach last represented England in January 2024 against India and has been sidelined with an injury since then.
“Durham seamer Brydon Carse will be making his Test debut. With England captain Ben Stokes still recovering from a hamstring tear, Ollie Pope will captain the side in his absence. Somerset spinner Jack Leach makes a return to the Test set-up for the first time since the India tour in January, while Kent opening bat Zak Crawley rejoins the team after fully recovering from a broken finger sustained during the summer,” ECB said in a release.
Pacer Brydon Carse is set to make his Test debut in Multan, stepping into the playing XI in place of Josh Hull. The 6ft 7in tall bowler has been unable to participate in the Test series against Pakistan due to an injury.
England’s playing XI for the 1st Test against 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
In December 2022, England achieved a clean sweep against Pakistan in their last Test series, winning all three matches under the leadership of Ben Stokes. This strong performance has continued into the ongoing 2024-25 season, where the English team has won five out of six Test matches so far.
In contrast, Pakistan has faced a challenging start to their season, losing all five Tests played under the captaincy of Shan Masood. Masood took over the captaincy from Babar Azam last year after Azam stepped down, but he has yet to secure a victory as captain. Meanwhile, the three matches against England are crucial for Pakistan, as they must win to keep their hopes alive for qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final. Currently, they are lurching at eighth place in the WTC 2023-2025 points table.
