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Pakistan have announced their playing XI ahead of the opening Test against England, beginning on Monday, October 7, in Multan. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Aamer Jamal have returned to the playing eleven, having not played in the most recent Test.
Shaheen was left out of the second Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi as the management wanted him to take some time to work on his game. The left-arm speedster is one of the three seamers alongside Naseem Shah and Jamal, who hasn't played a Test since the Sydney game in Australia earlier this year.
Jamal was one of the few bright spots from the national team's 3-0 series loss in Australia. The right-arm pacer took 18 wickets in three Tests with two fifers and struck a 97-ball 82 in the final match in Sydney. Abrar Ahmed, who picked up seven wickets in Multan on debut against England in 2022, is the lone specialist spinner.
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Pakistan playing XI: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamer Jamal, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed.
Shaheen Shah Afridi missed Pakistan's entire series against England in 2022
Shaheen, meanwhile, missed the entire series against England when they visited for three Tests in 2022 due to a knee injury. Hence, the 24-year-old will hope to make an impact this time around.
The left-arm pacer struggled in the opening Test against Bangladesh as he took only a couple of wickets in 30 overs in the first innings, with the visitors eventually winning by 10 wickets. With Bangladesh consigning Pakistan to a humiliating 2-0 defeat on home soil, the hosts are under immense pressure ahead of the upcoming series. As far as England are concerned, they will miss Ben Stokes, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury. Hence, Ollie Pope will captain the side.
Pakistan also have home Tests scheduled against the West Indies this season.
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