The Pakistan cricket team have unveiled their Playing XI for the first match as the national side gears up for the Test series against England, scheduled to take place from October 7.
Speaking in a press conference, the Pakistan captain Shan Masood revealed the Playing XI of the forthcoming match in Multan.
"This is our best XI; Aamer Jamal's inclusion will be beneficial. We have maintained our batting line-up to ensure consistency," he stated.
Reflecting on the previous series against England, where Pakistan came very close to victory, Masood shed light over the strategies required to tackle with the Ollie Pope-led side.
Adding further, the red-ball skipper acknowledged that Ben Stokes was a key player of the team, however, their Playing XI revealed on Saturday is still very strong.
He stated: “Stokes's absence will definitely affect England, but their playing XI is still strong, he is one of the world's best all-rounders.”
It is to be noted that the Shan Masood-led side was defeated by 10 wickets in the first Test against Bangladesh in August, while the Tigers also won the second Test by six wickets.
Playing XI
Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (C), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel (VC), Mohammad Rizwan (Wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmad.
Schedule:
Oct 7-11 – First Test, Multan
Oct 15-19 – Second Test, Multan
Oct 24-28 – Third Test, Rawalpindi
Sohail Imran Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.
