England’s Ben Stokes set to return for second Test against Pakistan at Multan; PCB rests Babar, Shaheen and Naseem

After facing a humiliating defeat in the first test against England by an innings and 47 runs at Multan, more troubles are lining up for Pakistan. The reason is that England have hinted that its best all-rounder Ben Stokes appears to be fit for the second Test, reported BBC Sports.

The 33-year-old England all-rounder has been out since the beginning of August following a hamstring injury. On Sunday, he was seen bowling at a full pace in the nets and aiming to be back in the playing XI for the second Multan Test, beginning Tuesday.

According to the report by AFP, which quoted England's spokesperson, if Stokes is declared fit to play, he will replace Chris Woakes.

“Ben bowled about four overs at full pace today. He has done some high-intensity running and had about a 45-minute batting session in the nets,” AFP quoted England’s spokesperson as saying.

“He will be assessed after today, and a decision will be made on his availability over the course of the next 24 hours,” the spokesperson added.

Though England announces their team two days before the start of a Test, this time they are waiting until a final verdict on Stokes’s fitness arrives on Monday for the final squad.

Stokes was announced as England's Test skipper in April 2022 and was included in the three-test series against England, but withdrawn from the first test due to his hamstring injury.

In his absence, Ollie Pope led England in the last four Test matches and won three.

PCB rests Babar, Shaheen, and Naseem from series:

In the meantime, the Pakistan Cricket Board decided to rest experienced cricketers Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Sarfaraz Ahmed from the squad for the remaining two Test matches against England, reported Cricbuzz.

They have been replaced with by Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Kamran Ghulam (all uncapped), fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan.

Apart from this, the PCB also included Noman Ali and Zahid Mehmood in the 16-player squad for the remaining Tests at Multan and Rawalpindi.

A new selection panel, which included Aleem Dar, Aaqib Javed, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Hasan Cheema, the coach, and the captain, made the decision.

"Selecting the squad for the upcoming Tests against England has been a challenging task for the selectors. We've had to carefully consider current player form, the urgency to bounce back in the series and Pakistan's demanding 2024-25 international schedule. With these factors in mind and in the best interest of Pakistan cricket as well as the players, we've made the decision to rest Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi," Cricbuzz quoted ," Aaqib Javed as saying.

"We are confident that this break from international cricket will help these players regain their fitness, confidence and composure, ensuring they return in top shape for future challenges. They remain some of our finest talents with much more to contribute to Pakistan cricket. We are fully committed to supporting them during this period so they can come back even stronger," he said.

"At the same time, we are offering opportunities to uncapped players like Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, and Kamran Ghulam, along with Mohammad Ali, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Zahid Mehmood. They now have the chance to showcase their skills against a formidable England side. We believe they will rise to the occasion and make the most of this opportunity in the remaining two Tests," he added.

The second Test of the series will be played in Multan on the same pitch, that was used for the first one.

With agency inputs.