Pakistan names a spin-heavy Playing 11 for the second Test against England

Pakistan has made significant noise ahead of the second Test against England. The home team faced a crushing defeat in the series opener despite posting over 500 runs in the first innings. In an attack that witnessed Joe Root and Harry Brook piling up a double and triple century, respectively, England beat Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs. The aftermath of the humiliating defeat led to a shuffle within the PCB selection committee. Former umpire Aleem Dar was roped into the committee, which had its first task of picking the Pakistan squad for the second Test.

Pakistan names a spin-heavy Playing XI for the second Test against England

In the build-up to the second Pakistan vs England Test, former skipper Babar Azam faced the axe. Azam has spent almost two years in the red-ball format without registering even a half-century. After a dismal run in the Pakistan vs Bangladesh Test series, where he scored just 64 runs over four innings, Azam continued his disappointing Test run in the England match as well. In the match that saw Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, and Agha Salman notching up respective centuries, Babar managed just 30 and 5 over the two innings.

Pakistan, desperate to shift focus from their defeat, dropped Azam from the squad for the second Pakistan vs England Test match. Moreover, Shaheen Afridi, who faced a similar fate in the Pakistan vs Bangladesh series, was also dropped, along with young pacer Naseem Shah. Now, with the second clash scheduled to start on October 15 in Multan, Pakistan has announced the Playing XI, naming the replacements for Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah.

Pakistan has opted for a trio of spinners in their squad as Abrar Ahmed is still unfit to play. With a spin-heavy team for the second Test against England, Pakistan looks to level the series on a reused Multan pitch. The home team has made four changes from the side that suffered a heavy defeat in the first Test, including the debut of batter Kamran Ghulam. The 29-year-old, who impressed in domestic cricket with a record-breaking 1,249 runs in the 2020-21 season, is likely to fill in for Azam. Left-arm spinner Noman Ali, leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood, and off-spinner Sajid Khan have been included to strengthen the spin department.

Playing XI for the second Pakistan vs England Test:

Shan Masood (captain), Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Agha, Aamer Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood.