England's captain Ben Stokes (right) and Zak Crawley were seen batting in the nets during a practice session ahead of their second Test cricket match against Pakistan at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan on Monday. — AFP
Returning England captain Ben Stokes expressed on Monday that he hopes a reused pitch for the second Test against Pakistan in Multan will favor the tourists rather than the spin-heavy hosts. Eager to level the three-match series after a crushing innings and 47-run defeat on Friday, Pakistan made four changes from the first Test, including the inclusion of three spinners. In an unusual decision, Pakistan, who have not won a home Test since February 2021, opted to use the same flat surface on which England amassed 823-7 declared in response to Pakistan's 556 all out.
"If you consider how the first Test unfolded, if another pitch like that is produced, it might give us more of an advantage," said Stokes, who returned to the team after missing the first Test due to a hamstring injury. Despite the high-scoring first innings, with Harry Brook smashing 317 and Joe Root making 262, England managed to bowl out Pakistan for 220 in their second innings, securing a remarkable victory. England replaced seamers Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes with Matthew Potts and Stokes, but retained the same spinners in Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir.
"You'd hope it might favor the spin, so if it spins more, or if it reverses more, there are more options available for both teams," added Stokes. The all-rounder, who may not yet be fit to bowl, mentioned that he has never seen such a strategy before. "It could be a tactic, but I've never seen a pitch used in consecutive games. And I've never seen fans that large being used as umpires," he said, referring to two big industrial fans at both ends being used to dry the pitch. Since Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum took charge in May 2022, England have played aggressive cricket, with only one draw.
"I think if we were 1-0 down at home, we would probably ask our groundsman at the second Test for a bit more of this, a bit more of that, to use our home advantage." With Stokes as captain and McCullum as coach, they both view cricket as a game that should have a winner.
Pakistan's Zahid Mahmood (left), Sajid Khan (center), and Noman Ali attended a practice session ahead of their second Test cricket match against England at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan on Monday. — AFP
Pakistan's assistant coach Azhar Mahmood believes the pitch will benefit his team. "The strategy behind using the used pitch is to take 20 wickets," said Mahmood. "We aim to get 20 England wickets, and using spinners will help us dominate." Zahid Mahmood, Sajid Khan, and Noman Ali form Pakistan's spin trio, with Aamer Jamal being the only frontline pace bowler. Mahmood defended the decision to leave out struggling star batter Babar Azam.
"There is no doubt that Babar Azam is our best batter," said Mahmood of Azam, who has not scored a half-century in 18 innings. "He is not dropped; we have given him rest considering the upcoming hectic cricket schedule. We believe it would be best for him to return refreshed for the three away tours ahead."
