Asghar Ali Mubarak
RAWALPINDI: The first Test match of the series between Pakistan and England will be played on Thursday (today) as per the schedule.
Sources said that the cricket boards of both countries have decided to play the match.
Announcement about Test match
The announcement about the inaugural test match between the two countries comes a day after several players in the England team fell ill owing to an “outbreak of viral infection”.
The two boards made the decision after medical advice from the England doctors.
“The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today early has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that they are in a position to field an XI, and, as such, the first Test will start as per schedule today (Thursday) at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium,” said the PCB in a tweet.
The toss will be held at 9:30 am, and the first ball will be bowled at 10 am each day.
The series between the two countries is crucial for Pakistan to qualify for the finals of the ICC World Test Championship 2022-23.
Earlier, England’s cricket team captain Ben Stokes and other important players fell ill as they complained about viral and diarrheal infections.
According to the schedule, the three-match test series’ first Test will be played at Rawalpindi from December 1 to December 5, the 2nd Test will be played in Karachi from December 9 to December 13, and the 3rd Test will be played at Multan stadium from (December 17 to December 21.
Earlier in September-October, the England team toured Karachi and Lahore to play seven T20Is. The English team won the series 4-3 and lifted the trophy.
Pakistan’s Squad:
Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shan Masood, Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abrar Ahmed, Zahid Mahmood, Mohammad Nawaz, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Ali.
England team,
Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Joe Root, James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Rehan Ahmed, Will Jacks, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood.
England Management Pakistan Test Series are; Head Coach: Brendon McCullum, Assistant Coach: Paul Collingwood, Assistant Coach: Jeetan Patel, Assistant Coach: Marcus Trescothick, Team Operations Manager: Wayne Bentley, Head of Team Communications: Danny Reuben, Analyst: Rupert Lewis, Strength & Conditioning: Peter Sim, Physio: Steve Griffin, Doctor: Anita Biswas, Massage Therapist: Mark Saxby, Security: Will Carr & Yass Ali, Digital Content: Greg Stobart.Test Match
