England’s New-Look Team Faces Pakistan in Multan Test Series
The England cricket team is set to play a three-match Test series against Pakistan in Multan, starting Monday. Former England cricketer Michael Atherton described the current English team as “inexperienced and raw,” especially in their pace attack, compared to the team that played in 2022. Key players like James Anderson and Mark Wood are absent, and Ben Stokes will miss the first Test due to a hamstring injury. Ollie Pope will lead the team in Stokes’ absence.
England’s pace attack will include Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, and Brydon Carse. Atherton noted the challenging conditions, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees during practice. Pakistan, under new captain Shan Masood and coach Jason Gillespie, aims to break their losing streak at home, which includes losses to Bangladesh.
England is currently fourth in the ICC World Test Championship standings, while Pakistan is eighth. The series promises to be exciting, with both teams eager to prove themselves. England’s playing eleven includes Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, and Shoaib Bashir. Pakistan’s lineup features Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (C), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmed.
Doubts Revealed
Multan -: Multan is a city in Pakistan. It is known for its rich history and cultural heritage. The cricket matches in the series will be played there.
Test series -: A Test series in cricket is a set of matches played between two teams. Each match can last up to five days, and it’s considered the longest format of the game.
James Anderson -: James Anderson is a famous English cricketer known for his fast bowling. He is one of the key players usually in the England cricket team.
Ben Stokes -: Ben Stokes is a well-known English cricketer. He is an all-rounder, meaning he can both bat and bowl well.
Ollie Pope -: Ollie Pope is a young English cricketer. In this series, he will be leading the England team as the captain.
Shan Masood -: Shan Masood is a Pakistani cricketer. He is the new captain of the Pakistan cricket team for this series.
Jason Gillespie -: Jason Gillespie is a former Australian cricketer. He is now the coach of the Pakistan cricket team.
ICC World Test Championship -: The ICC World Test Championship is a tournament for Test cricket teams. It ranks teams based on their performance in Test matches.
