Tag: Pakistan vs England Test series

The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced the full match schedule for the Pakistan Men’s Test Series against England in October 2024.

The tour begins with the First Test in Multan from October 7-11, before moving to Karachi for the Second Test from October 15-19. The Third Test will be in Rawalpindi from October 24-28.

The three-match series forms part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25. It will be the second time England Men have played Test series in Pakistan in under two years, with England having won the last series 3-0 in December 2022.

Richard Gould, ECB Chief Executive Officer, said: “We’re really excited to be returning to Pakistan for this three-match Men’s Test tour in October.

“Our last Men’s Test tour of Pakistan produced some memorable matches and I’m sure fans can look forward to more exciting cricket across this forthcoming series.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

It is worth mentioning here that the three-match home Test series against England is part of the Pakistan men’s cricket team’s busy home international season 2024-25.

Besides England, Pakistan will host Bangladesh for a two-match Test series in August, followed by a three-match series against West Indies in January next year while they will play two away Tests against South Africa in December-January.

The nine Tests against Bangladesh, England, South Africa and the West Indies will be part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25. To date, Pakistan has played five Tests in two series against Sri Lanka and Australia, winning two and losing three.

This has placed them in fifth position on the points table with 22 points. India leads the table with 74 points after three series, followed by Australia (90 points from four series), New Zealand (36 points from three series), and Sri Lanka (24 points from two series).

With each of the top nine Test-playing nations scheduled to play six series (three home and three away) in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle, strong performances in the upcoming four series could put Pakistan in contention for a place in the final, scheduled for Lord’s in June 2025.

SERIES SCHEDULE

7-11 October, 2024 – First Test, Multan

15-19 October, 2024 – Second Test, Karachi

24-28 October, 2024 – Third Test, Rawalpindi

READ: Pakistan to play ODI tri-series amid home international season 2024-25

MULTAN: The squads of Pakistan and England have landed in the city to partake in the upcoming second Test of the historic series after a delay in their flight.

According to the details, the teams were originally scheduled to depart for Multan at 11 AM from Islamabad International Airport, however, dense smog here caused a three-hour delay.

Both squads then boarded a special charter flight PK 6681 which took off from the capital at 2:40 PM and arrived at Multan International Airport within an hour.

Following their arrival, the teams were then taken to the local hotel under tight security.

It is pertinent to mention that following England captain Ben Stokes’ brave declaration, the bowlers’ brilliance powered the touring side to claim a scintillating victory over Pakistan in the first Test.

The second Test of the historic series will commence on December 9 here at the Multan International Cricket Stadium.

READ: Haris Rauf ruled of England Test series due to injury

RAWALPINDI: England all-rounder Liam Livingstone has been ruled out for the remainder of the ongoing three-match series against Pakistan after facing a knee injury in the first Test in Rawalpindi.

Livingstone injured his right knee while fielding on day two of his debut Test and was taken off the field for the rest of Pakistan’s innings. He visibly looked in discomfort while running between the wickets on day four when he scored an unbeaten 7 before England declared their second turn.

The team management has now decided to send him back to the UK on Tuesday where he will begin a rehabilitation programme.

“England all-rounder Liam Livingstone has been ruled out of the rest of the Test series against Pakistan with a right knee injury,” the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Monday.

“He will return to the UK on Tuesday and commence rehab with the ECB and Lancashire medical teams respectively.” it added.

However, the decision on whether to call up his replacement or not has yet to be made by England.

The ongoing Rawalpindi Test entered a crucial stage as England struck down strong-looking Imam-ul -Haq, who was just two runs short of his fifty, early on day 5 to set the alarm bells ringing for Pakistan. The home side needs another 245 runs while England require seven wickets to win the first Test.

READ: Rawalpindi Test: Azhar Ali fit to bat on final day says PCB

RAWALPINDI: Experienced batter Azhar Ali, who sustained a blow to his index finger the other day, has been declared fit to bat on the final day of the first Test as Pakistan are striving to chase 343 runs posted by England with three wickets down so far. 

According to the PCB spokesperson, the medical board declared the right-handed batter fit for play on the last day.

On Sunday,  Azhar underwent an X-Ray at a local hospital here as a precautionary method to examine a likely injury that the former sustained on the fourth day of the Rawalpindi Test.

Ollie Robinson’s short ball struck Azhar hard and hurt his index finger. The physio treated the right-handed batter on the field, but he made the decision to return to the pavilion.

The Rawalpindi Test entered a crucial stage as England struck down strong-looking Imam-ul -Haq, who was just two runs short of his fifty, early on day 5 to set the alarm bells ringing for Pakistan. The home side needs another 245 runs while England require seven wickets to win the first Test.

READ: England thrash Senegal 3-0 to book quarter-final clash with holders France

RAWALPINDI: England batter Joe Root stunned the cricket world on Sunday when he batted left-handed during the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi.

England batter Root has been in the news for his innovations during the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi.

During the fourth day, Root faced up left-handed to Zahid Mahmood for the first two deliveries of the Pakistan spinner’s sixth over. The former England skipper swept the first ball directly to the fielder at square leg.

Joe Root decides to bat left-handed 😳#PAKvENG | #UKSePK pic.twitter.com/GOvnkof54B

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 4, 2022

 

However, the innovation almost got backfired as Root’s sweep shot was put down by pacer Naseem Shah at mid-wicket.

He obviously took the hint as he quickly ditched the idea and played the remainder of his innings as he usually does as a right-hander.

Later, Root was later dismissed for 73 as England continued the aggressive approach they have displayed consistently throughout this first Test.

Imam-ul-Haq and Saud Shakeel resisted with a valiant 55-run partnership to steer Pakistan to 80/2 after England set a 343-run target following a brave decision by captain Ben Stokes to declare the second innings on 264/7, on the penultimate day of the first Test.

The fiery England side turned the dull Rawalpindi Test into an enthralling contest as they put Pakistan to bat again on the same day and took wickets to put the home team under pressure.

Pakistan, however, are perfectly positioned to win the first Test as they require 263 runs on the final day to take the lead in the three-match series.

Ben Stokes-led side undertook an aggressive approach as they batted only 36 overs in their second turn after bowling out Pakistan 579 in the first session on day 4.

READ: Mbappe strikes twice as France sink Poland to reach FIFA WC quarters 

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq commented on the team’s batting approach in response to England’s mammoth total of 657 in the first innings of the ongoing Rawalpindi Test.

Pakistan batters had a tough task ahead of them when England batters finished at a massive 657 at the back of four centuries from Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook.

The hosts, however, did not hold back on what is considered to be a batting paradise as centuries from Imam, Abdullah Shafique and captain Babar Azam put Pakistan in a fighting position as they finished at 499/7 and are still 158 runs behind.

One of Pakistan’s centurions Imam then talked to the media after the conclusion of the third day, which too remained majorly dominated by the batters and shared how Pakistan’s batters approached England’s massive total.

“Sometimes, when you see the opposition team scoring 650 runs it gives you a really tough time mentally as the expectations from us also mount that we too, will play longer,” said Imam.

“Since they have played the first innings and scored a massive total so we were not left with many chances, we can’t take risks and also need to save the team,” he added.

The left-handed opener then responded to a question regarding Pakistan’s approach towards the outcome of the high-scoring match and shared that the team is not thinking yet to go for the draw.

“Again when there are 650 runs on the board, so obviously, first of all, we have to save ourselves. But, we did not think about going for the draw as of yet because their total was around 650 so we had to play four to five sessions at least to get closer to them,” Imam shared.

Imam then went on to predict the nature of the pitch in the last two days by sharing that it has already started breaking and he also experienced a little uneven bounce on the third day.

“I noted the variations in the pitch today. It started to break and bowlers were getting a little more bounce but sometimes it kept low,” shared Imam.

“It was the third-day wicket so in upcoming days it would definitely change and might no longer be a batting paradise,” Imam stated.

“But again I would say, we would play as per the situations we get and play in the present and once we get in a certain situation then we will also be looking at the future that either we have to go for the chase or to fight for the draw,” he maintained.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan gave a befitting response to England’s record 657-run total as the home side raised 499/7 before stumps with help of Imam, Abdullah and Babar’s centuries.

READ: Pakistan even response with three tons hangs Rawalpindi Test in balance

RAWALPINDI: England batters baton-charged Pakistan in the Rawalpindi Test as they raised a record 506 runs – the highest by any team on the first day of a Test match – for the loss of just four wickets before stumps on the opening day of the first Test, here on Thursday.

Four of the England batters smashed centuries as the touring party minted out runs at a brisk run rate of 6.74 throughout the day.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett led the charge of England’s assault on a batting-friendly wicket as the opening duo scored a century each before Ollie Pope and Harry Brook wreaked havoc in the final session with their respective hundreds.

Opting to bat first, England’s opening pair capitalized on the favourable batting conditions to the full extent as they attacked the hosts with a brisk stand of 233 runs before spinner Zahid Mehmood earned the viral breakthrough for Pakistan, dismissing Duckett in the second session.

Duckett scored his maiden Test hundred on his return to the England red-ball side after six years. He played a sensational knock of 110-ball 107, including 15 boundaries.

Crawley, on the other hand, raised his third Test century just after Lunch and looked in sublime touch before debutant Haris Rauf castled him down, taking his first international wicket of the format.

Pope and Brook, however, stitched another strong 176-run partnership on the fourth wicket after Joe Root’s dismissal. Pope remained phenomenal with a remarkable 104-ball 108 before while Brook raced to his first Test century in just 80 balls.

England skipper Ben Stokes played a superb cameo later in the day as he made quick fire 34 off 15 balls before stumps with Brook on the other end.

Pakistan bowlers, on the other hand,  looked hapless before England’s batting assault as Naseem Shah remained wicketless along with part-timers Agha Salman and Saud Shakeel, who was charged with six consecutive sixes in the 68th over by Brook.

Despite taking two wickets, Mehmood remained expensive as he conceded 169 runs in 23 overs.

Debutants Haris Rauf and Mohammad Ali also took a scalp each while they maintained an economy of over six.

Earlier, the decision to commence the historic Test as per its original schedule only came out early in the morning as uncertainty had prevailed throughout the other day after several players of the England camp fell ill.

RAWALPINDI: The trophy unveiling ceremony of the historic Test series between Pakistan and England has been postponed as a viral disease hit the English camp on the eve of the first match, originally scheduled to commence tomorrow.

According to the details, the postponement came in light of the viral ailment that broke out in the touring side’s camp which affected around 14 members of their squad.

England’s Test captain Ben Stokes is reportedly among those 14 members and thus was unable to partake in the unveiling ceremony with his counterpart Babar Azam.

Consequently, the affected members including players and supporting staff were advised to rest at the hotel on Wednesday.

However, the reports further suggest that the trophy unveiling ceremony will now take place tomorrow ahead of the first Test.

Meanwhile, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) issued a brief statement regarding the incident and shared that only Harry Brook, Joe Root, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley attended today’s optional training session.

It is pertinent to mention that England have already named their Playing XI for the historic Rawalpindi Test with all-rounder Liam Livingstone set to make his Test debut while Ben Duckett will play his first Test since 2016.

READ: PAK v ENG: Start of First Test likely to be delayed after England players fall ill 

RAWALPINDI: The trophy for the upcoming Test series between Pakistan and England will be unveiled tomorrow at Pindi Cricket Stadium.

According to the details, the trophy will be unveiled in a ceremony at the Pindi stadium where both captains – Babar Azam and Ben Stokes – will participate.

Following the trophy unveiling, both Pakistan and England captains will speak to the presser later tomorrow.

Earlier today, the players of the two squads carried out robust training sessions on Tuesday ahead of the first Test amid tight security at the stadium.

It is pertinent to mention that England and Pakistan will lock horns in a three-match Test series from December 1 to 21. Rawalpindi, Multan and Karachi will host the remaining two Tests respectively.

READ: Babar’s wicket is crucial but goal is to take 20 wickets: Anderson 

RAWALPINDI: As the England Test side embarks on its first tour of Pakistan after 17 years gap, the Pindi stadium witnessed a busy day on Tuesday as both teams raced up their preparations for the opening Test at the venue.   

England will lock horns with the hosts for the three-match Test series, starting from December 1 (Thursday) with the Rawalpindi Test, while the remaining two fixtures will be held in Multan and Karachi respectively.

The players of the two squads carried out robust training sessions on Tuesday ahead of the first Test amid tight security at the stadium.

According to the details, foolproof security arrangements were ensured around the stadium and on the team routes for the practice session which lasted till the afternoon.

Ben Stokes-led side engaged in vigorous fielding drills alongside net sessions for bowling and batting practice for the second consecutive day, while the national squad also geared up their preparations for the home assignment.

It is pertinent to mention here that England will play Pakistan in a test series for the first time since 2005 when they last toured the country for three tests and five ODIs.

England’s white-ball side had already visited the country in September this year for the seven T20 matches and defeated the hosts 4-3 in the series.

READ: Northern thrash Sindh to lift maiden Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title