England have decided to play with the three frontline spinners for the Third Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, Rehan Ahmed who made his debut memorable back in December 2022 in Karachi is back for the third Test along with the Pacer Gus Atkinson. These two will replace Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts.

Can Rehan Ahmed shine again in Pakistan?

Rehan Ahmed last played in India, where he took 11 wickets in three matches, but he was sidelined for the entire English summer. He made his debut in Karachi in their 2022 Tour where he picked up five wickets and helped visitors complete their Whitewash against the hosts. Rehan has picked up 18 wickets at an average of 34.50 in 4 Tests. He will join the leading wicket-taker of this series Jack Leach and off-spinner Shoaib Bashir.

Gus Atkinson, who played in the first Test at Multan, took four wickets for 136 runs. He bowled brilliantly on the pitch, which helped the batters. He played a key role in achieving a reverse swing, dismissing Shan Masood and Babar Azam during the evening session on day four, leaving Pakistan struggling at 41 for 3.

While reverse swing might not come into play as much as it did in Multan, still Atkinson who bowls at 140 KPHs can certainly challenge the Pakistan batters. The other pacer along with Atkinson will be Skipper Ben Stokes who made his return to the side after nine weeks and bowled 10 overs combined in Pakistan's two innings. 

Pakistan have taken some measures in the past three days to make the Rawalpindi surface, which has historically favour Pacers more than Spinners. They have deployed industrial fans at both ends similar to what they did in Multan to dry the surface. These adjustments have led England to believe that the pitch will now offer more support to spinners.

England's Playing XI For the Third Test:

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamies Smith (WK), Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, and Shoaib Bashir.

Young England leg spinner Rehan Ahmed won’t take part in the ongoing fourth Test against India due to personal reasons. His tour has come to an end early as he will return home now. However, England have decided not to name a replacement for him for the last game as well.

Rehan Ahmed started well with the ball

The 19-year-old talented spinner featured in all three Tests until now, claiming 11 wickets – the second-best total for England on this tour after Tom Hartley as well. His tally also includes a six-wicket haul in Vizag. England however, brought back their finger spinner Shoaib Bashir for the all-important fourth Test in Ranchi.

SEE ALSO: IND vs ENG: “There Are Cracks”: Vikram Rathour Gives Honest Review Of Pitch For Ranchi Test

Notably, Ahmed was in training on the eve of the Ranchi Test but he has had to decide to head back home. England now have to win in the Ranchi match to keep the series alive and take it to the final Test in Dharamsala, which begins on March 7 as well.

England need to win the game

At the toss, Ben Stokes said, “We will bat first. 2-1 down, a bit more important in the context of the series, but every game is important. The first one hour will give us an idea about how the pitch will play, but it was always going to be a bat-first track. My bowling is coming off well, it’s been a long time coming. I’m happy with the way we’ve operated throughout the series and looking forward to more of the same.”