Rawalpindi, Oct 22 (IANS): England have opted to field a spin-heavy attack for the third Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, recalling 19-year-old Rehan Ahmed alongside Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir. The decision comes as local ground staff in Pakistan appear to have deliberately "raked" the pitch to favour spin, according to England batter Harry Brook.
The pitch preparation in Rawalpindi, which reportedly involved the use of rakes, industrial fans and heaters to dry out the surface, suggests a strategy from Pakistan to bring their own spinners into play, especially following their victory on a reused strip in Multan.
Brook, speaking ahead of the match, expressed uncertainty about the surface but hoped for familiar conditions: "They've had the rakes out, the fans and the heaters on the pitch. Everyone goes and looks at the wicket and says something different… Hopefully, it's just like any other Pakistani pitch. It's good to bat on for the first few days and then hopefully, we can get a bit of turn out of it at the back end of the game."
"I think the conditions are going to be a little bit different. We played on an extremely flat pitch here last time. It was awesome to bat on, and we scored a good rate of knots. This game's probably going to be slightly different. It might turn earlier on: who knows? It might be a good pitch to start with and we get off to a flyer," he added.
Rehan Ahmed, who burst onto the international scene in Pakistan two years ago with a five-wicket haul in Karachi, is set to make his first appearance for England since February. His performance in that series secured a historic 3-0 sweep for England, but his progress has since been inconsistent.
Despite these setbacks, England remain committed to developing Rehan’s potential. He has continued to work on his game, particularly his batting, recording four half-centuries in the County Championship this summer. Rehan will bolster England’s lower order, batting at No. 9, as the team looks to take advantage of the spin-friendly conditions in Rawalpindi.
The inclusion of Rehan means Gus Atkinson also returns to the side, replacing Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts, who have both been rested. Carse, England’s standout bowler on this tour with nine wickets at 24.33, has been rested after a heavy workload, having bowled 67 overs in the first two Tests. Atkinson, who claimed four wickets in England’s innings win in the first Test, will provide pace to complement the spin attack.
England playing XI for third Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.