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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has declared the starting eleven for the opening Test of the three-match series against the visiting England side at the Multan Cricket Stadium. The last engagement for the Green Brigade in the red-ball format saw a slump to a 2-0 defeat at home against Bangladesh, who were clinical against the host in every aspect of the game.

In the second Test in Rawalpindi of the previous series, both the leading pacers of the Pakistan team, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, were rested. The former had a steady dip in form in recent times, along with the news of him becoming a father.

The left-arm pacer has made his return back in the Pakistan side for the opening Test match against England and will be part of the three-pronged pace attack, which consists of two more fast bowlers, Naseem Shah and Amir Jamal.

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Naseem, who was also left for the second Test against the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side, is back with his experience of 18 Test matches where he has picked up 54 scalps at an average of under 34 and a strike rate of around 56 deliveries.

Abrar Ahmed named as lone frontline Pakistan spinner for Multan Test

Aamir Jamal featured in his debut series in Australia, where he picked up 18 wickets in three games at an average of under 21 and a strike rate of around five overs. Even with the bat in hand, the Mianwali-born smashed 143 runs in three games at an average of 28.60 with the help of one half-century.

Jamal had been included in the squad for the Bangladesh series but was later withdrawn ahead of the opening Test as he had not received a fitness clearance to take part.

The three players who made it away from the Pakistan side are Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, and Mir Hamza. Shahzad was the most impressive bowler of the Bangladesh Test in Rawalpindi, as he picked up six wickets, giving away 90 runs in the second game, reducing the visitors to 26/6 before the visitors pulled off a superb recovery.

The only spinner of the side is Abrar Ahmed, who has featured in seven Test matches, picking up 39 scalps at an average of under 34 and a strike rate of around ten overs, with a best bowling figure of 7/114 in an innings. He didn’t have a great time though in his last Test against Bangladesh, where he was smashed for 123 runs, getting just one wicket.

Babar Azam hasn’t been in fine touch with the bat in the longest format. In the first Test against Bangladesh, he got a duck and then followed by 22, 31, and 11 in the last three innings. The same trend continues with the captain, Shan Masood, who has an average of 28.53 thanks to his 1883 runs in 35 games with the help of ten half-centuries and four centuries.

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In the opening Test, the left-handed batter had low scores of six and 14 against Bangladesh before he celebrated a 57-run knock in the second Test match. England captain and their premier all-rounder of the side, Ben Stokes, has already been ruled out of the Multan Test with a hamstring injury, as Ollie Pope is set to lead them for the fourth successive game.

Pakistan has been going through a tough time in the format, and this series will offer them a chance to earn the glory back.

Pakistan Playing XI for 1st Test vs England

Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk.), Salman Ali Agha, Aamer Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed.