MULTAN: A fit-again England captain Ben Stokes and pacer Matthew Potts replace Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson in England’s playing eleven for the second Test against Pakistan at Multan, starting on Tuesday.
Stokes returns after missing England’s last four Test matches due to a hamstring tear, which kept him on the sidelines since early August. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have said Stokes has fully recovered from his injury, and he will take back the leadership mantle from stand-in captain Ollie Pope.
Meanwhile, Potts returns to the side for the first time since playing in the Lord’s Test against Sri Lanka at the end of August. It also means that Atkinson has been left out of the Test team for the first time since making his debut in England’s home summer.
The duo along with Brydon Carse – who play for Durham in the domestic circuit - will make for England’s fast-bowling line-up, while Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir, along with Joe Root’s part-time off-spin, will continue to handle spin-bowling duties.
Left-handed opener Ben Duckett retains his spot in the eleven after recovering from a dislocated thumb sustained on the second evening of the first Test at Multan, which England won by an innings and 47 runs.
Wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith is slotted to bat at number seven, to allow Stokes to return to his usual sixth place in the batting order who posted a whopping 823/7 declared in the series opener. A victory in the second Test at Multan will give England their second consecutive series win in Pakistan following their 3-0 triumph in 2022.
England playing eleven: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, and Shoaib Bashir