Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have announced their playing XI for the upcoming second Test match against England which is scheduled to start from October 15 at Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan. Shan Masood-led side will feature with four spinners and one pacer as the replacement of Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi. Kamran Ghulam will make his debut, replacing Babar Azam.
Noman Ali, Zahid Mehmood, and Sajid Khan have been included in the team, while Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Babar Azam have been rested.
Ali, 38, last played a Test match in July 2023, while 36-year-old Mehmood hasn't represented Pakistan since December 2022. Khan's most recent Test appearance was in January.
Pakistan have already faced a humiliating loss in the first Test match which was played at the same venue. England defeated them by an inning and 47 runs to take 1-0 lead in three Test match series. Shan Masood & Co. also registered a forgettable record as they became the first-ever cricket team who lose a Test match despite scoring more than 550 runs in the first inning.
Pakistan Test skipper Shan Masood is still looking for a maiden win for Pakistan under his leadership. He was announced as Babar Azam's successor in the longest format of the game after Pakistan's bad outing in the ODI World Cup 2023.
Shan's first assignment was Pakistan tour of Australia where the Men in Green failed to win a Test match after that Bangladesh created history in Pakistan by winning their first ever Test win against the neighbouring nation. Currently, Pakistan was seen struggling in the 1st Test against England.
After registering the dominating win in the first Test match, England also announced their playing XI for the second clash where their skipper Ben Stokes return for the second Test.
Pakistan playing XI: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (captain), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, and Zahid Mehmood
England's playing XI: Zak Crawley, ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir
