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MULTAN: England captain Ollie Pope said on Sunday that his team is wary of the threat posed by Pakistan fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah in the upcoming first Test, scheduled to start on Monday.
Pope will be leading the touring side in the absence of their regular captain Ben Stokes, who has been sidelined from the opening Test due to a lingering hamstring injury. The 26-year-old batter previously led England to a 2-1 home series victory over Sri Lanka.
During the pre-match press conference on Sunday, Pope rejected the idea of underestimating Pakistan despite their recent form.
“Although the Pakistan team hasn’t been in great form recently, they are still a challenging side,” he remarked. “With bowlers like Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, we have to play good cricket.”
Meanwhile, he also showed faith in the abilities of his pacers despite the lack of experience.
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“Chris Woakes has made a comeback after a long time, and he is eager to perform consistently in Test cricket,” Pope stated. “Brydon Carse is fast, I have faced him in the nets.”
He also shed light on England’s spin attack, which features experienced Jack Leach and young Shoaib Bashir. Meanwhile, Joe Root can also offer some support with his off-spin bowling.
“Spinners need to be consistent in their performance, and Jack Leach is an experienced bowler,” Pope said. “We have two regular spinners, Joe Root might not be needed, but it depends on the pitch.”
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmad
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir
READ: Aamir Jamal returns as Pakistan unveil Playing XI for first England Test
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