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England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday, October 14 announced their playing XI for the second Test against Pakistan, set to commence from Tuesday, October 15 at the Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan. After registering a comprehensive win over Pakistan in the first Test by an inning and 47 runs, the Three Lions will look to clinch the series with red-ball captain, Ben Stokes making his return.
Notably, Stokes missed the first Test in order to regain complete fitness from a hamstring injury , sustained during the Hundred in August 2024. He earlier had missed the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
Ben Stokes returns; Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes rested
With England Cricket announcing their playing XI for the second Test, Ben Stokes will return at helm after Ollie Pope took over the reigns in his absence for the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka, followed by the first Test in Multan. "England Captain Ben Stokes returns after missing the last four Test matches. He has fully recovered from a hamstring tear, which has kept him on the sidelines since early August," ECB said in a statement.
Moreover, Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes have been rested for the second Test, while Matthew Potts makes his return into the side. What is interesting is that England hasn’t added a spinner in the lineup with Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir continuing to feature along with Joe Root as their third spinner.
England’s Playing XI for second Test vs Pakistan
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.
