England bowl against Pakistan in first Test of post-Bazball era
LEEDS: England captain Joe Root won the toss and elected to field in the first Test against Pakistan at Headingley on Wednesday. This is the first match of Root’s second stint as full-time England Test captain following the retirement from all international cricket of former skipper Ben Stokes. Babar Azam ruled out of first England Test with hand injury England are also without the other…
In the opening match of England captain Joe Root's second term, the England cricket team elected to field first in the first Test against Pakistan at Headingley on Wednesday. This marks a significant change following Ben Stokes' retirement from all international cricket. Pakistan's star batsman Babar Azam is unable to play due to a hand injury, along with Brendon McCullum, who was removed as Test coach after a 2-1 series defeat to New Zealand in June.
England, which has won only two of their last ten Tests, made three substitutions to the squad. Jordan Cox stepped in for the injured Jacob Bethell at number three, and Dan Lawrence took over the middle order slot vacated by Stokes at number six. Ollie Robinson, a fast-medium bowler, replaced Shoaib Bashir. Pakistan, aiming for their first series victory in England in 30 years, faced an early setback with Babar Azam's absence.
Captain Salman Ali Agha led the Pakistani team for the first time in a Test, expressing relief about the news. He highlighted that his team has been gearing up for red-ball cricket and acknowledged the unfortunate situation of Babar Azam's injury. Root, on the other hand, was calm about his decision to bowl first, citing potential weather advantages.
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