LEEDS: England have won the toss and opted to bowl first in the first Test of the three-match series against Pakistan here at Headingley on Wednesday.
Pakistan is playing without their captain Babar Azam, who was ruled out of the opening Test after failing to recover from a hand injury sustained during the team’s practice match against a PCC Select XI.
In Babar’s absence, all-rounder Salman Ali Agha is serving as stand-in captain.
PLAYING XIs
England: Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jordan Cox, Joe Root (c), Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith (wk), Ollie Robinson, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue.
Pakistan: Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha (c), Ali Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali and Mohammad Abbas.
Notably, this match marks Pakistan’s return to England for a red-ball series for the first time since 2020. The two sides met in a three-Test series five years ago, with England winning 1-0 while the other two matches ended in draws.
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Pakistan have not won a Test series in England since 1996, when Wasim Akram’s side secured a 2-1 victory. That success was Pakistan’s third consecutive Test series win in England, following their triumph under Imran Khan in 1987 and Javed Miandad’s side’s success in 1992.
Overall, England and Pakistan have faced each other 92 times in Test cricket. England have won 30 matches, Pakistan have won 23, while 39 encounters have ended in draws.
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