Zak Crawley has declared himself fully fit and 'back with a new hunger' after missing the second half of England's Test summer due to a broken finger. However, the extent of Ben Stokes' recovery from a torn hamstring, which forced him to miss the series against Sri Lanka, remains uncertain. Stokes participated only briefly in the team's first training session in Pakistan.

Crawley mentioned that Stokes 'seems to be going well, recovering well,' but added that 'we don't know just yet' if he will be fit to play in the opening game of the series, which begins in Multan on Monday. 'I think he's got to do a few more tests,' Crawley noted. The last official update on Stokes' injury was 10 days ago, when an England and Wales Cricket Board statement said he was 'on track to participate in the upcoming Test series against Pakistan.'

After observing the first hour of training from the balcony, Stokes emerged to deliver a dozen deliveries off a two-pace run-up in an empty net, perform some running drills, and spend about half an hour batting. At this stage, it appears unlikely that he will bowl, and with the team set to be named on Saturday, he has less than 24 hours to prove his fitness. Ollie Pope is available if needed to reprise his role as stand-in captain, a position he filled against Sri Lanka.

Although Crawley was unable to pick up a bat until mid-September, England was confident enough in his ability to return to the top of the batting order, leaving Dan Lawrence, who replaced him against Sri Lanka, out of this squad. 'It's as good as it could be at this stage,' Crawley said of his injury, a fractured little finger on his right hand sustained while fielding at slip against West Indies in July.

As a precaution, Crawley will not return to the cordon for the time being, but he did participate in some one-on-one catching practice with Brendon McCullum on Friday. 'It was a nasty break at the time, but I've recovered well and I don't feel it at all while I'm batting,' he said. 'In the field, I haven't done too much. I'm trying to rest it.'

Crawley spent much of his time away from the game watching it on television, and has returned from his spell on the sidelines with renewed motivation. 'It shows how much this means to me, how much I love playing for England,' he said. 'I've come back with a new hunger for sure. I feel like I've got a lot of energy. No one wants any time out and I wouldn't choose to do it again, but I've taken some positives from it for sure.'

That energy is likely to be tested, with Multan presenting an extraordinary contrast to the rain-soaked, frigid conditions in which England's home summer ended in Bristol five days earlier. 'It's hot but it's much tougher in training than it is in games,' Crawley said. 'You're facing a ball every 15 seconds, which is the main reason we're sweating so much. In a game where it's every 45 seconds, it's a lot easier to control. We've all played in heat like this before, so it's not a concern.'

The upside, according to Crawley, is that 'reverse swing should be easy with the sweat.' The 26-year-old also sees a bright side in the decision to hold both the first two games in Multan, due to delayed reconstruction work on the stadium in Karachi where the second game was originally scheduled. 'It's great because we're staying in a really good hotel,' he said. 'Snooker tables, pool, golf courses, people so nice and welcoming. The boys are very happy.'