England vs Pakistan 2nd Test Match: Preview & Prediction
Pakistan will take on England at the Multan Cricket Stadium. The second Test of the three-match series will kick off on Friday, December 9, at 10:00 am local time.
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England vs Pakistan 2nd Test Match.Babar Azam's side featured four debutants in the first Test - Saud Shakeel, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Ali, and Zahid Mahmood. Rauf, however, picked up an injury and is out for the rest of the series. Mahmood conceded the second-highest number of runs by a debutant in Test cricket in Rawalpindi, so there could well be changes in Multan.
Ben Stokes' team will arrive in Multan confidently after their aggressive and upbeat performance in Rawalpindi, which helped them earn their third victory over Pakistan on the road. Liam Livingstone, an all-around player, will be replaced on the team by Mark Wood because he had to return home due to an injury.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">GUESS WHO'S BACK 😍😍😍<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvENG?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvENG</a> <a href="https://t.co/MHYGXtffev">pic.twitter.com/MHYGXtffev</a></p>— England's Barmy Army (@TheBarmyArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheBarmyArmy/status/1600845400042311680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
England Players to Watch
1. Zak Crawley averages 122 against Pakistan, and the England opener is a good choice for the highest run scorer in this match.
2. Mark Wood is the fastest bowler in the England team and is expected to take some quick wickets.
Pakistan players to watch
1. Babar Azam averages 47.97 in Tests and the Pakistan captain is our pick for the highest run scorer in Multan.
2. Naseem Shah was the only member of Pakistan's bowling attack to constantly challenge the English batsmen in Rawalpindi and he is our pick for the highest wicket-taker in this Test.
Match Prediction
England is predicted to win the second Test match as they are a stronger side compared to Pakistan.
Top Picks
Zak Crawley
Mark Wood
Babar Azam
Naseem Shah
Pitch Report
The Multan Cricket Stadium is hosting its first Test match after 16 long years, which is a big event for this venue. Of course, fresh turf is expected for this match. The last Test played here was in 2006. We hope for a slightly faster wicket with more spin and bounce than we saw in Rawalpindi last week.
Team Squad
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Overton, Will Jacks Jack Leach, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson
Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (c), Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman/Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Mir Hamza, Hasan Ali, Abrar Ahmed