England set foot in Pakistan after 17 years to play historic Test series

ISLAMABAD: England squad on Sunday stepped foot in Pakistan to play a historic Test series in the country after a gap of 17 years, which will roll into action from December 1 at Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.

A strong English Test squad landed in the country early Sunday from Abu Dhabi, where they practised against England Lions to race up the preparations for the historic series.

England will take on hosts Pakistan in three Tests in Rawalpindi, Multan and Karachi respectively under the leadership of their newly-appointed captain Ben Stokes, who redeemed his 2016 failure to steer England to their second T20 World Cup title.

The Rawalpindi Test, scheduled to commence on December 1, will mark the first Test between Pakistan and England on the former’s soil after 17 years. Meanwhile, Rawalpindi will host England for a Test match for the first time.

Taking to Twitter, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) shared the footage of their Test squad touching down in Pakistan.

It is pertinent to mention that England last toured Pakistan for a full-fledged tour back in 2005 when they played three Tests and five ODIs.

ENGLAND SQUAD: Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Joe Root, James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Rehan Ahmed, Will Jacks, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood