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The Ben Stokes-led Three Lions are on a tour of Pakistan after a 17-year-long wait. The English side won the toss and elected to bat first in the first of the three-match Test series. The Three Lions completely dominated the hosts on a flat pitch of Rawalpindi on the back of a brilliant opening partnership between Zak Crawley & Ben Duckett.
In the first innings itself which lasted for more than a day, four of the English batters scored centuries to help the side put 657/10. However, the hosts could not replicate the England batting and were bundled out for 579 in the first inning. After coming into bat again, England crossed the 250-run mark before declaring the second inning at 264/7. With the Babar Azam-led side still needing around 250 runs to win on the final day of the Test, the visitors suffered a major blow.
Their key player and Test debutant Liam Livingstone has been ruled out of the remainder of Pakistan tour with a knee injury. The all-rounder who was handed his debut cap alongside Will Jacks sustained a knee injury in his right knee during the first Test. The English cricketer sustained this injury on Day 2 of first Test and remained off the field during the entire Pakistan first innings.
However, he did come to bat in England second inning, scoring an unbeaten 7 with some discomfort quite visible as he ran between the wickets. A scan on Day 4 of the ongoing Test later revealed the extent of the damage as the England Cricket Board confirmed that he will return to the UK on Tuesday morning. The 29-year-old will undergo rehabilitation under the supervision of ECB and the Lancashire medical team.
The Ben Stokes-led side is yet to make a decision on his replacement. England pacer Mark Wood, who has also travelled with the squad to Pakistan is likely to be called in as Livingstone’s replacement. Notably, the fast bowler was ruled out of the first Test after suffering an injury during the T20 World Cup 2022.
