England received a significant boost ahead of the first of the three-match Test series against Pakistan as top-order batter Zak Crawley has revealed that he is ready to return to the action.
Crawley was out of the action due to a fractured finger. He sustained the injury while attempting a catch in the last Test of the three-match series against West Indies back in July.
The top-order batter missed the home Test series against Sri Lanka due to the injury, but he declared himself fit on Friday for the first Test against Pakistan, which will start on 7 October.
“The finger is all right. It’s as good as it could be at this stage,” Zak Crawley said after England’s first training session in Multan on Friday.
“I’ve recovered well from it. It was a nasty break at the time, but I’ve recovered well and I don’t feel it at all while I’m batting. In the field, I haven’t done too much. I’m trying to rest it, but I did a few catches there [in training] and it feels fine.”
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However, he revealed that the doctor has advised him against fielding at slips to avoid the reoccurrence of the injury.
“I won’t go at slip, just from advice from the doctor. I feel like I could, but I’m just trying to follow the professional advice,” he shared.
“It feels back to normal now, so I’m looking forward to cracking on… I feel brand new. I’m looking forward to getting out there. I’ve certainly missed it, so I can’t wait to get out there again with the boys.”
The three-match series between Pakistan and England will run from October 7 to 28 and is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25.
Squads:
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
England: Ben Stokes (C), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
READ: England captain Ben Stokes doubtful for the first Test against Pakistan