Stokes-led England squad to arrive in Multan for Pakistan Test series

Ben Stokes leads England's 34-member squad to Multan on October 2 for a three-Test series against Pakistan in the WTC.

Ben Stokes will lead England's 34-player squad to Multan on October 2 to start a three-Test series against Pakistan.

The touring party includes 17 players and 17 team officials and is scheduled to arrive in Multan via Doha on Wednesday afternoon.

Eight members of the English squad, including Harry Brook, Rehan Ahmed, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, and Ben Stokes, were part of the team that clinched a 3-0 victory over Pakistan in 2022. Stokes, who captained the side, will once again lead the English charge.

In contrast, six players from Pakistan's previous Test squad, which was whitewashed under Babar Azam's leadership, have been dropped for the upcoming series. Azhar Ali, Haris Rauf, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Wasim Junior, and Mohammad Ali have been replaced by Saim Ayub, Mohammad Harira, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mir Hamza.

Recently, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made significant changes to the Pakistan squad for the series opener. Leg-spinner Zahid Mehmood has been added to the pre-Test camp in Multan as the 16th player, with the final squad to be trimmed to 15 for the first Test, which begins on October 7.

The last time England's Test team toured Pakistan was in December 2022, when Pakistan endured a crushing 3-0 defeat in the three-match series.

Notably, the upcoming series, set to begin on October 7th in Multan, is part of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle.

Pakistan squad for first Test against England: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah Afridi, Zahid Mehmood.

England squad for Pakistan Test series: Ben Stokes (C), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

Revised schedule:

• 7-11 Oct – First Test, Multan

• 15-19 Oct – Second Test, Multan

• 24-28 Oct – Third Test, Rawalpindi