Pakistan Cricket Board announced a new and reformed squad for the second and third Test against England. Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi were dropped from the squad. Now, Pakistan have announced their playing XI for the second Test in Multan.
Shan Masood continues as the captain of the side and Saud Shakeel is the vice-captain of the team. Kamran Ghulam replaces Babar Azam at number 4 in the playing XI.
M Rizwan continues as the wicketkeeper-batsman of the side. Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Zahid Mehmood have been included in the playing XI for the second Test.
Pakistan vs England: Pakistan Cricket Team have made a lot of changes to their squad
PCB confirmed the playing XI through their statement on social media on October 14. Kamran Ghulam will earn his debut for the national team after performing consistently in the domestic side. This will be his first official debut. However, he has earlier played for Pakistan when he replaced Haris Sohail as a concussion substitute during an ODI match against New Zealand in January 2023.
Babar Azam has been out of form for quite sometime after not scoring a single half-century in 18 innings of the test matches. He last scored a century during the Asia Cup 2023 opener against Nepal. He has faced severe criticism for his lack of runs and his ability to deliver for Pakistan under pressure.
Meanwhile, England have Ben Stokes back in the team and he will lead the England side in the second Test in Multan.
Pakistan vs England 2024, 2nd Test, Playing XIs:
Pakistan
Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel (vc), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mehmood
England
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir
