RAWALPINDI: England on Tuesday picked Rehan Ahmed as a third slow bowler for the series-deciding final Test against Pakistan on a dry Rawalpindi pitch which is expected to take spin.

The 20-year-old leg-spinner will form a three-pronged spin attack when the match begins Thursday alongside left-armer Jack Leach and off-break bowler Shoaib Bashir.

The three-match series is level at 1-1 after England won the first Test by an innings and 47 runs in Multan.

Pakistan used the same pitch for the second match which they won by 152 runs, with their spinners taking all 20 wickets.

Seam bowler Gus Atkinson was recalled with fast bowlers Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts dropping out of the side.

“There are two changes from the second Test in Multan with seamer Gus Atkinson returns and leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed is included,” said an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) statement.

Rehan, who took five wickets on his Test debut in Karachi in England’s thumping 3-0 sweep of Pakistan in 2022, is included for the first time since a Test against India in Rajkot earlier this year.

PITCH SCRUTINISED

England’s decision to bring in a third spinner is prompted by another grass-less pitch prepared at Rawalpindi with Pakistan deploying industrial-sized fans and patio heaters to dry the square.

The pitch was being scrutinised Tuesday, as the hosts tried to dry the surface to replicate last week’s spin-led success.

England head coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes inspected the pitch at length ahead of the team’s practice on Tuesday.

“Everybody goes and looks at the wicket and everybody says something different,” England batsman Harry Brook told reporters.

“Hopefully it’s like any other Pakistani pitch and it’s good to bat on for the first few days and then hopefully we get some turn out on it at the back end of the game.”

Pakistan’s victory in second Test in Multan was their first at home in nearly four years and helped the hosts finally discover the formula of making the most of the advantage.

Pakistan batter Saud Shakeel, however, rued the national side missing out on opportunities of beating the likes of England, Australia and New Zealand — all touring the country in the 2022-23 season.

“I think we have been a bit late in deciding these things,” he told reporters. “For example, if England is coming, we should be clear about our combination and pitch preparation.”

Saud suggested Pakistan may go with three spinners as well in the Rawalpindi Test, with the side having the option of playing either mohammad Ali as the second pacer or Zahid Mahmood as a third spinner.

“We’ll try to repeat the same strategy,” noted Saud. “If our spin group continues to take wickets and causes difficulty for the opponents, we’ll stick to that approach.”

Saud praised Noman and Sajid’s show in the last Test and expected the duo to play a crucial role in Pakistan’s shot at a rare series win, given their experience of first-class cricket.

“… given the cricket Noman has played and his experience, it was evident on the field,” he said. “If you play against a team like England, you know they will attack, but both of them showed their experience.

“Having played a lot of first-class cricket, they know how to bowl in such situations. Hopefully, they will contribute similarly in the third match to help us win.”

England team for the third Test: Ben Stokes (captain), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.

Published in Dawn, October 23th, 2024