An under-fire Pakistan will once again gear up in hopes of redeeming themselves as they take on England in the upcoming three-match Test series which begins in Multan on Monday.
Both sides have their fair share of problems to endure but the match will likely be decided by the bigger stars who can perform in the hot and humid conditions in the sub-continent region.
The visitors, England will remain confident of their chances as they had beaten Pakistan in their previous tour in the 2022-23 season but a lot will be riding on their inexperienced pace attack and whether they can rise above the occasion.
Ahead of their three-match series take a look at the four key matchups to watch out for.
Shaheen Shah Afridi vs Ben Duckett
Shaheen Afridi was not part of the previous Test series as he was out of action due to a knee injury. But now he will be expected to play a key role, especially against the explosive English opening batter, Ben Duckett.
Duckett was in fine form with the bat where he smashed a fantastic century to help England set a record first-day score of 506/4 to set the tone. His batting style has shown that he can rattle the best of bowlers as he aims to go big right from the get-go.
However, Shaheen if he is in good form, can prove to be a menace with the new ball where his swing or his lethal yorkers can rattle the best of batters.
Babar Azam vs Rehan Ahmed
Rehan Ahmed who was just 18 years old during the previous series against Pakistan had a fantastic outing where he became the youngest Englishman to take a fifer on debut.
With more experience under his belt, the leg-spinner will have a big role as he aims to get the wicket of Pakistan’s ace batter in Babar Azam. He was able to do the same back in 2022 and his improved control of his variations could prove to be a challenge.
Now matured, he is likely to face down Pakistan star batter Azam — one of his victims back in 2022.
Azam is under the spotlight at the moment after resigning from his role as Pakistan’s white-ball captain for a second time. In addition to this, he has also been out of touch with the bat in the international level, failing to make his stars count.
But with performances in the domestic One-Day Cup, Babar will look to get back to his best batting form and the match-up against Ahmed will prove to be a massive test for the senior batter.
Joe Root vs Abrar Ahmed
Joe Root has been England’s main man with the bat for quite some time now. Going in fine form, he is also likely to break the former skipper, Alastair Cook’s career record for scoring 12,000 Test runs.
But in the 2022 tour, it was spinner Abrar Ahmed who dismissed Root in each innings of the second Test in Multan for low scores of 8 and 21.
Nonetheless, Root holds the record for most hundreds for England with 34, achieving half of them over the past four years. With form going on his side, it will be interesting to see how he goes against the spin-challenge in the sub-continent.
Pakistan will rely on Abrar for slow and turning wickets. A spin duel between the pair will be a clash to watch.
Ben Stokes vs Naseem Shah
England skipper Stokes will miss the first match due to a hamstring injury but may add drama if he is fit for the later two fixtures.
The Stokes-Shah showdown lit up the Twenty20 World Cup final in Melbourne in November 2022, with the batter surviving Shah’s lethal spell and hitting a fighting half-century to secure England’s triumph.
But barely a month later the rivalry was renewed in Rawalpindi stadium as Shah bowled Stokes for 41 on the day when England piled up its record haul.
Shah missed the next two Tests with a shoulder injury but when the series starts next week he will have more experience and better fitness.
If Stokes does appear he will be only freshly recovered and have to overcome a fiery Shah looking to push him to the hilt.
(with AFP Inputs)
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