RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — The wicket in Rawalpindi has encouraged England to recall leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed as its third specialist slow option to go with Jack Leach’s left-arm spin and the off-spin of Shoaib Bashir.
“Who knows what’s going to happen?” said captain Ben Stokes after England’s last training session at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
“It looks a very good wicket at the moment (but) with some cricket on it, it might change. We feel the longer it goes, more spin is going to come into play.”
Bashir has replaced Matthew Potts in the England team while Gus Atkinson, who was part of the memorable win by an innings and 47 runs in the first test, will replace rested fast bowler Brydon Carse.
Reverse swing with the old ball might be ineffective, with a greener square on both sides of the wicket.
“The square is very lush and green,” Stokes said. “It’s going to be hard to manufacture reverse swing. The longer the games goes on, the more spin is going to come in.”
Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (captain), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Rizwan, Aamer Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir