Kamran Ghulam set to make his Test debut as Pakistan name three spinners for Multan Test vs England

Pakistani cricket team have rung in the changes ahead of the 2nd Test match vs England in Multan. Batter Kamran Ghulam is set to make his Test debut on Tuesday as he replaces Babar Azam in the starting XI. The former Pakistan skipper was dropped for the final 2 Tests along with Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Sarfaraz Ahmed. 

It was also revealed that the home team will be going in with three spinners. Veteran bowlers Noman Ali and Zahir Mahmood will be making their return to the team. Sajid Khan will play his 1st game for Pakistan since the SCG Test earlier this year. 

England made one change to their side, as Ben Stokes is back at the helm of affairs. Gus Atkinson makes his way for the England skipper who hasn’t played for the last 2 months. The home team are set to go in with the same pitch that was used in the first Test match. This is the reason why they are going in with 3 spinners for the game on Tuesday. 

Ben Stokes comments on 2nd Test being played on used pitch

England skipper Ben Stokes didn’t read much into the game being played on the same strip. The 33-year-old said to the media, "I think if we went 1-0 down at the home, we would probably be going to our groundsman saying 'can we have a bit more of this, bit more of that' to use our home advantage in our favour. If you look at the way that first Test played out, if another like that was produced maybe it would have given us more of an advantage just because of the way that we take the game on and how we play it.”

Stokes also added, “Using a used pitch brings a lot more into the game for both teams, actually. So, if it does spin more, if it does reverse more, there's more options there for both teams. It could be a tactic, but I am not sure. I have never seen a used pitch before used in back-to-back games, and I have also never seen fans that big standing as umpires."

“It's the first time I will ever be playing on a used pitch in a Test series. I think we could sit here and say 'it's going to do this, it's going to do that', but who knows? You'd like to think it's going to offer the spinners a bit more than it did last week with it being used and hot. It is a slightly drier square so you might see a little more reverse swing which will bring seamers into the game. We will have to wait and see what happens," opined England’s Test skipper. 

When asked about his fitness, Stokes said, “I've had a fair few injuries. It is a part of what we do, part of how I play cricket, and my role. Injuries are frustrating but I like to keep a positive mindset. The thing that allows me to do that is telling myself, 'when you get back on the field make sure you're fitter than you were when you got injured.”

Finally, Stokes also said that he is fit to bowl and will be playing as the third seamer during the press conference. "I am obviously playing as a third seamer. To be honest, playing on a used wicket sort of made the decision a little bit easier. But, you like to think that this is going to spin a bit more. We have got two workhorses in the team in Brydon Carse and Matt Potts who are just going to keep going and going and going. But, I am available to bowl and obviously when I sense the time is right,” he said.

Pakistan XI for 2nd Test

Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, and Zahid Mahmood