By The Telegraph (World News) | Created at 2024-10-07 04:15:37 | Updated at 2024-10-07 06:22:26
2 hours ago
Good morning and welcome to our live blog of the first Test between Pakistan and England, in Multan. England arrive distinctly short of a gallop, they have only just arrived in the country. That’s not to say that the England cricket team haven’t been busy: after all, they were contesting a one-day series in England only last week, playing Australia with a white ball under grey skies. Conditions-wise, this is a different challenge and there’s no getting away from the fact that England are undercooked.
It seems absurd really, and there are personnel questions to answer alongside the structural ones about fixture congestion. With James Anderson having been retired, Mark Wood injured and Ollie Robinson out in the cold, none of the seamers who played on England’s successful last trip here are present. England take on Pakistan with a pace bowling attack of Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson. Woakes, splendid fellow and a force in English conditions, has played 20 Tests overseas and taken 36 wickets at 52, far inferior to his record in Blighty. The other two haven’t played Test cricket at all outside the UK. And talking of inexperience, with Ben Stokes out injured still, Ollie Pope skippers.
All that said, the hosts have plenty of problems of their own, they have lost five Tests in a row and the build up to this one has been a bit of a shambles, it wasn’t even really clear where the opening match would be played. But in Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Aamer Jamal, they have some quality bowling and skipper Shan Masood has the batting genius of Babar Azam to call upon. It would take a brave person to predict this one and to be honest the wheels could come off for either, or indeed both, sides.
The toss will be at 5.30am UK time and the action starts at 6am UK.
