The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to announce the national squad for the second Test match against England today, following a meeting of the newly-formed selection committee held at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore.
The committee, which includes Aleem Dar, Aaqib Javed, Azhar Ali, and Ahsan Cheema, reviewed the team's performance. Selector Asad Shafiq joined the session via Zoom to provide his input. The committee will travel to Multan on Saturday to meet with the head curator, head coach, and captain before making the final squad announcement.
Kamran Ghulam, Nauman Ali, and Zahid Mahmood are being considered for selection in the upcoming match. Pakistan and England will face off in the second Test at Multan Cricket Stadium on October 15.
Yesterday, Pakistan once again suffered another setback in international cricket, losing to England by an innings and 47 runs in the first Test match of the three-match series.
The home side was bowled out for just 220 runs in their second innings, leaving fans disappointed.
At the start of the fifth day's play, Salman Agha and Aamer Jamal were on the crease. Both batsmen completed their half centuries with Jamal remaining not out at 55 off 104 deliveries.
Pakistan's batting collapse on day four in Multan and England's dominant victory might overshadow the bigger issue at play: the incredibly flat pitches Pakistan has been rolling out for Test cricket
England's massive 823-run total in Multan, along with the 1379 runs scored in the first two innings, highlight just how benign these surfaces have become.
Since Test cricket returned to Pakistan in December 2019, bowlers have been struggling, averaging nearly 40 runs per wicket—comfortably the worst in the world. In perspective, it’s five runs worse than Sri Lanka, where bowlers average 34.25.
But things have gotten even tougher for bowlers since Pakistan’s home series against Australia in early 2022. Wickets are now costing 42.13 runs each, further widening the gap between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
While Sri Lanka’s bowling average has shifted slightly from 34.25 to 34.76, Pakistan has added two runs to their already poor average, making conditions even more challenging for bowlers.
Following the run-fest in this Test, Multan joins Rawalpindi and Karachi as the third venue in Pakistan where bowlers average over 40 runs per wicket.
Globally, out of 28 venues that have hosted two or more Tests since March 2022, only these three Pakistani venues and Trent Bridge in England have seen bowlers struggle to such an extent, with averages exceeding 40.
Following the match yesterday, Skipper Shan Masood lamented the team's inability to secure a win after a disheartening defeat to England in the first Test in Multan, where they failed to capitalize on a strong first-innings total of 550.
England triumphed by an innings and 47 runs.
The defeat marked Pakistan's sixth consecutive loss in Test cricket.
It is worth noting that Pakistan is the first team in 147 years in the history of Tests to lose by an innings after scoring 500 runs.
Reflecting on the match, Masood noted, “We’ve spoken about the third innings or fourth innings, but at the end of the day, it’s a team game. Everything has its advantages or repercussions as a team. When you put up 550 on the board, it’s important to back it up with 10 wickets.”
