The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced a reshaped playing XI for the second Test against England, scheduled from 15 to 19 October at Multan Cricket Stadium. The team made huge changes in both batting and bowling departments as they faced the heaviest defeat in the three-match series opener.
Major changes in Pakistan’s line-up
The PCB took some of the toughest decisions, which it did. They benched Babar Azam, and other top-notch star players such as Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Naseem Shah. In their place, a few new faces have been introduced to the squad such as Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Ali, and Sajid Khan. These would include Kamran Ghulam, Noman Ali, and Sajid Khan in the playing XI while Mohammad Ali was missed.
The Pakistan side for the revamped Playing XI has Shan Masood as the captain, wicketkeeper, and vice-captain Saud Shakeel supporting the middle order. It seems that the team focuses more on a spin-dominated attack as three specialist spinners have been chosen for the match, an unheard strategy in the last couple of years for a home Test match.
Strategic Focus towards Spin-Based Attack
Pakistan has drastically departed from its typical seam-friendly approaches and will seem to field a battalion of three spinners: Noman Ali, Zahid Mahmood, and Sajid Khan. In keeping with recent performances and considering the glaring absence of pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, who has been kept out of the side for fitness and getting into form, Pakistan has opted for a battery of spinners.
Since the conditions at Multan are likely to favor spinners, the management has made that change in strategy. “Considering the pitch conditions and the fight we faced in the first Test against our pacer attack, we feel we have the opportunity to compete closely with this mighty England team if we focus on spinners,” said Mahmood.
Kamran Ghulam in the squad: In the selectors’ latest move, Kamran Ghulam has been cut for the second Test, whereas Babar Azam has been excluded from the squad.
Kamran Ghulam will make his Test debut as a replacement for Babar Azam, as the latter was sent back to his home after his batting was seen to be ailing. A decision to rest Babar has stirred up controversy, as he has been considered Pakistan’s most consistent batsman of late. The team management, though felt a need to introduce some new blood in the combination and players who had shown form and promised a lot.
Kamran Ghulam has come into the side to give balance to the middle order, and Aamir Jamal at number eight can add depth to the batting order while also satisfying the seam-bowling needs of the team.
Back to the England Squad: Ben Stokes Returns
There are also reports coming out, indicating that the England team has announced its playing XI for the second Test, which has welcomed the return of captain Ben Stokes on a platform where he was absent all along due to a hamstring injury. Hopefully, his comeback would strengthen England’s line-up going forward, especially with experience and all-round capabilities under his belt.
England’s eleven will comprise Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Ben Stokes in the batting; their bowling attack will comprise Brydon Carse, Matt Potts, Jack Leach, and rookie Shoaib Bashir, apart from the multi-instrumental Jamie Smith.
High stakes on both sides
A win for Pakistan is the only chance they have to hang on in the series. The move to favor a spinning attack is a big gamble, especially since first-line spinner Abrar Ahmed is not available due to an injury. Some of the spinners in the team haven’t played much red-ball cricket lately, yet Pakistan is planning to use the turning conditions at Multan.
On the flip side, England will try to take the momentum from the first Test victory into this game with Stokes’s return enhancing both dimensions of batting and bowling. The ease with which England has shown to handle the Pakistani attacking options possibly forces Pakistan’s hands to bring in more spinners than they are.
And what does that mean for the series? It is hard to say anything good about this Pakistani move.
This is indeed a real Test series finale for both teams in Multan. A win will prove that the Pakistan team is indeed resilient and changeable; a defeat would trigger more questions about the management of the team and perhaps the team’s decisions about its strategy. Already, the controversy surrounding the benching of Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi by the Pakistan coach has made much noise among the fans as well as cricket analysts. All eyes are surely going to be on how this will alter the larger scheme of the overall performance of the team.
For England, it would be to maintain the winning form and make a cash out from Pakistan’s changed strategy to spin. In the duel in a one-to-one battle of the Multan Test, both teams would also fight a war on pitch-tactical warfare while trying to outsmart each other.
Conclusion
As the series progresses, both teams will be looking to refine their strategies and make proper adjustments. With the new captain, Shan Masood, at the helm, Pakistan would look to spring a surprise in a game where England would expect to see a bowler-friendly pitch and some prepared spinning tracks against a six-member-deep composition of players. Cricketing fans around the world would expect a great contest with this match so that the series didn’t die but remained interesting and competitive.
It will be one of those high-stakes encounters, and the next five days of cricket in Multan are going to prove crucial for determining how this series might take.
Read About Pak Vs Eng 1 Test Match Insights
To Read More: Sports