Mon Oct 07 08:32:15 UTC 2024: ## England to Face Pakistan in Multan Without Ben Stokes
**Multan, Pakistan:** England will begin their first Test match against Pakistan in Multan without their regular captain Ben Stokes, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury sustained during The Hundred tournament over two months ago.
Ollie Pope will continue to lead the side in Stokes’ absence, marking his first away Test captaincy and his fourth overall. Pope successfully led England to a 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka at home last month.
The team will see the Test debut of fast bowler Brydon Carse, who boasts an impressive 127 first-class wickets in 48 matches. Joining him in the fast bowling department will be Chris Woakes, making his first overseas Test appearance in two and a half years, and Gus Atkinson, who debuted this summer. Carse is coming off a strong showing in the recent ODI series against Australia, where he took eight wickets.
This will be the first time the trio will play a first-class game in Pakistan. Zak Crawley, who famously scored 122 off 111 balls in the first innings of the Rawalpindi Test in 2022, will rejoin Ben Duckett at the top of the order after recovering from a fractured finger injury sustained during the West Indies series.
Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir and left-arm orthodox Jack Leach will provide the spin bowling options for England.
Stokes is hopeful of making a return for the second Test, which also takes place in Multan on October 15th. He has stated that he will not rush his comeback due to the high risk of re-injury associated with hamstring problems. The first Test begins on Monday, and the third Test will be played in Rawalpindi from October 24th.
**England squad for the first Test:** Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse (Debut), Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.
First Piper 