Pakistan has announced its final 11-member team for the decisive third Test match against England. The match will be played tomorrow, October 24, at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.Pakistan has made no changes to the team that played the second Test in Multan, and spinner Zahid Mahmood has been included.
The Pakistani team includes Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Rizwan, Sajid Khan, Nauman Ali, Aamir Jamal, and Mohammad Zahid.
England’s squad had already been announced, with spinner Rehan Ahmed and pacer Gus Atkinson included.
The 3-match Test series between Pakistan and England is tied at 1-1, and this match will be the decider. The series is part of the ICC World Test Championship, although both teams are out of the race for the final.
According to the senior sports journalist imran usmani
One thing England wants to change is its luck with the toss. The whole world now knows what kind of pitch is being prepared at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and how it could be a scary prospect for England. Additionally, Rawalpindi’s record favors teams that win the toss and bat first. It’s an interesting situation.
Brendon McCullum, the head coach of England, has already said that the toss may account for 65 percent of the outcome of the game. In the second Test in Multan, when the pitch spun, the toss became a critical factor, and the match result confirmed this. Now, a similar pitch is expected in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan-England Test Records:
There have been 91 Test matches between Pakistan and England. England has won 30 times, Pakistan has won 22 matches, and 39 matches have ended in a draw. In the last five encounters, England holds a 4-1 record, with Pakistan winning the most recent contest in Multan last week. On home soil, Pakistan still trails England 5-6, with 16 Tests ending in draws.
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Rawalpindi Records:
Pakistan has a mixed record at Rawalpindi, with 5 wins and 6 losses. Four matches ended in draws. In its last Test at this venue, Pakistan lost to Bangladesh by 6 wickets, and it also lost the first match of this series by 10 wickets at the same venue last month. England won its last Test in Rawalpindi, where Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, and Harry Brook scored centuries, posting a total of 657—the highest score at the venue. Pakistan responded with 579, with centuries from Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique, and Imam-ul-Haq, their highest total at Rawalpindi.
Reverse Toss Results in Rawalpindi:
Despite the desire to win the toss and bat first, Rawalpindi’s records tell a different story. There have been 15 Tests here. Pakistan has won 5, lost 6, and 4 ended in a draw. Of the 11 decisive matches, only 3 were won by the team batting first, while the team batting second won 8 times. The average first innings score is 341, and for the second innings, it’s 403 runs. The average third innings score is 239, and the fourth innings average is 168. The highest individual score at the venue is Rahul Dravid’s 270 in 2004. Mohammad Zahid’s 7 wickets for 66 runs against New Zealand in 1996 is the best bowling performance, with 11 wickets for 130 runs in that match being the best overall performance at the venue.
England’s 3-Month Streak of Toss Bad Luck:
The dramatic story for England is that it hasn’t won a toss in 90 days. The last seven Test matches have gone by without them winning a toss, and it has now been over three months since they last won one. This streak comes at a critical time with the toss being highly significant for this decider in Rawalpindi.
