England will commence their tour of the subcontinent at the Multan Cricket Stadium, where they are set to face Pakistan in the first of three Tests getting underway on Monday morning.
Both sides are coming into this series off the back of disappointing results, with the hosts going down to Bangladesh in August while the visitors lost to Australia in an ODI series last month.
Match preview
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While England only just missed out on delivering the perfect summer by losing their final Test against Sri Lanka, 2024 is shaping up to be the single worst year in the history of the Pakistan men's cricket team.
The Shaheens, once regarded as the most thrilling team in the world and brimming with world-class talent, are now slipping into decline, overwhelmed by a series of disappointing performances, mismanagement and lack of proper planning.
It began with a 3-0 Test series defeat in Australia, followed by a crushing T20 series loss to New Zealand, and even included one of the biggest shocks in world cricket when they suffered defeat to the USA in the T20 World Cup in Dallas.
Indeed, since Saqlain Mushtaq's departure in 2023 after a two-year tenure, Pakistan Cricket has seen a staggering turnover of six different head coaches, including Abdul Rehman, Grant Bradburn, Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Mahmood, Gary Kirsten, and current coach, Jason Gillespie.
In the build-up to the first Test, the former Aussie quick also expressed concerns about the team's fitness levels but remains determined to reverse the side's recent slump, following another disappointing 2-0 series loss to Bangladesh.
As it stands, it is difficult to know which Pakistan side is going to show up on any given day and this first Test will likely give us a clearer indication of what to expect from Shan Masood and co over the next couple of weeks.
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England, meanwhile, arrive in the subcontinent looking to bounce back from their 3-2 ODI series defeat against their old foe Australia last month, where once again, rain played a role in the final outcome.
However, most would agree that the Three Lions were not at the very best throughout the T20 and 50-over series, and they will now have to navigate the testing conditions in Pakistan, for the first match at least, without the services of their leader Ben Stokes.
The 33-year-old Durham all-rounder has been out of action since early August and is still recovering from a torn hamstring suffered during the Hundred tournament, which will see Ollie Pope continue to lead the side until his return.
One player who will be looking forward to returning to this part of the world, though, will be Rehan Ahmed, who was just 18 years old when he became England's youngest bowler to take a five-wicket haul on debut against the Shaheens in Karachi back in 2022.
As is often the case in the subcontinent, spin is likely to be a major factor, and Brendon McCullum seems to have acknowledged that by including three spinners in the touring squad with two expected to take the field here in Multan for the first Test.
This first of three Tests will be vital for both sides, as an opening-match win for the visitors will likely give him a massive psychological advantage over an already vulnerable Pakistan side, who are looking for their Test win on home soil since February 2021, when they beat South Africa in Rawalpindi.
Team News
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This series represents arguably a make-or-break situation for Test captain Shan Masood, who is still searching for his maiden red-ball victory since taking up the mantle from Babar Azam last November.
The hosts did receive a significant boost in the lead-up to this series, though, with Shaheen Afridi cleared fit to return, and he will be tasked with spearheading the bowling attack and halting England's top order led by the in-form Ben Duckett.
While Pakistan have seen their main strike bowler return for this series, England have two notable absentees from their pace attack, with the blistering Mark Wood unavailable due to injury and Ollie Robinson left out for this tour.
The visitors' pace lineup will now feature Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Chris Woakes and Ollie Stone, though the latter is expected to leave on the fifth day of the match to prepare for his wedding next week.
Pakistan squad: Shan Masood, Saud Shakeel, Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Salman Agha, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Hurraira, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi
England squad: Ben Stokes, Gus Atkinson, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Rehan Ahmed, Joe Root, Shoaib Bashir, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes
We say: England to win
While England were left disappointed in the shorter formats against the Aussies last month, they have been good with the red-ball this year, and given Pakistan's recent struggles, we feel the Three Lions will be able to notch up an opening-match victory in this one.
Devesh Jaganath
