PAK vs ENG, 1st Test Preview

Pakistan and England begin their three-match Test series in Rawalpindi on Thursday morning. This is the first time that England have toured Pakistan for a Test series since 2005. Pakistan lost their last Test against Sri Lanka in a drawn series whereas England beat South Africa at home this summer. Pakistan have a strong record at home in Test cricket and will back themselves to have the upperhand with both bat and ball in this game. Patient batting will be required and Pakistan have the players to do that. England come into this series after a successful home summer but playing Pakistan away is a completely different proposition. They will play in an attacking manner but getting a win would be a huge achievement.

PAK vs ENG, 1st Test Details

Pakistan vs England – 1st Test

Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium – Rawalpindi

Date & Time: 01st December at 10:00 AM IST 

Live Streaming: Star Sports Network

PAK vs ENG, 1st Test Pitch Report

Only 14 wickets fell in the last Test Match in Rawalpindi and we are expecting another batter-friendly surface for this game. A par first-innings total on this wicket will be over 450. There is no rain forecast across all five scheduled days of this Test Match with the temperature expected to get above 20 degrees on each day. 

Injury News

No Injury. Will be added when there is an update

Also Read: Gavaskar Not A Fan of Wholesale Changes In Indian Team

PAK vs ENG, 1st Test Probable Playing XIs:

England Probable Playing XIs

Zak Crawley, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Liam Livingstone, Ben Foakes (wk), Ollie Robinson, James Anderson, Jack Leach

Pakistan Probable Playing XIs

Abdullah Shafiq, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Azhar Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Nauman Ali

Topmost Picks for PAK vs ENG Dream11 Prediction, 1st Test:

Top Picks – England

• Ben Stokes– The all-rounder has turned the fortunes of England’s Test side around since taking on the captaincy earlier this year. He played a match-winning innings in the T20 World Cup Final and rarely lets England down.

• Joe Root– The former skipper has scored 973 runs at an average of 51.21 this year. He is comfortable against pace or spin and will be keen to add a century in Pakistan to his Test career tally of 28.

Top Picks – Pakistan

• Babar Azam– The 28 year old skipper has an excellent record at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. He averages 91.50 from five innings with a top score of 143 at this venue.

• Naseem Shah– The 19 year old fast bowler has had an excellent start to his international career and has impressed across all formats. He has 33 Test wickets so far.

Suggested Playing XI N0.1 for PAK vs ENG Dream11 Team:

Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(VC), Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root(C), Ben Stokes, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim

Suggested Playing XI N0.2 for PAK vs ENG Dream11 Team:

Mohammad Rizwan(VC), Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Ben Stokes(C), Jack Leach, James Anderson, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah

Captain and Vice-Captain Options:

Captain – Ben Stokes, Joe Root

Vice-captain – Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan

Wicketkeeper – Mohammad Rizwan

PAK vs ENG 1st Test Probable winners:

England won home series against New Zealand and South Africa by playing an attacking brand of cricket but they will need to show good defensive batting technique in this Test. Pakistan’s batters have more experience of flat wickets. This game is a re-run of the T20 World Cup Final from Melbourne earlier this month but there will be many different players on show on both sides. Although England have been in excellent form since Ben Stokes took over the captaincy, we think that playing Pakistan in Rawalpindi will be their toughest task of the year. We predict that Pakistan’s batters will find it easier to score runs without taking big risks and are backing Pakistan to win. Considering the team combination, Pakistan is expected to win this match.