In the second test against England, a battered Pakistan is looking for a pitch with more life

When Pakistan takes on England in the second Test, which will begin on Friday in Multan, Pakistan is hoping that the pitch will have more life to it. On a dead Rawalpindi pitch that offered little to the bowlers, England took full advantage of winning the toss and their batting depth to win the first Test by 74 runs on Monday. Rawalpindi was the location of the match.

If recent matches in Pakistan’s domestic competition are any indication, Multan could offer more spin, despite the fact that it hasn’t hosted a test match in over a decade.

The captain of the Pakistani team, Babar Azam, who got a century in the first innings of Pakistan’s match in Rawalpindi, stated that he desired something livelier.

“We needed a spin pitch,” he explained to the reporters there in Rawalpindi. “I offered my suggestions… but, alas, things did not turn out the way we had anticipated.”

With seven individual hundreds and five individual 50s, Rawalpindi scored 1,768 runs over the course of four innings, which is the third greatest in the annals of Test history.

On the other hand, spinners fared well in the previous first-class encounter that was played at Multan. Former Test spinner Yasir Shah took five wickets in each innings of the contest.

In spite of this, leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood, who took six wickets but let up a staggering 319 runs in the first test, could be dropped from the Pakistan team by the selectors. Competing for his position are the uncapped Mohammad Nawaz and the experienced Abrar Ahmed.

Hasan Ali, a quick bowler, is likely going to step in for the injured Haris Rauf. Haris Rauf was a replacement for world-class quick bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is unable to participate in the series.

Ben Foakes, who bats and keeps wickets for England, is expected to replace Liam Livingstone, who will be receiving treatment for a knee injury at home, as England will also make a change due to an injury.

Ben Stokes, the captain of the England team, has pledged that “Bazball,” the kind of aggressive cricket that was derived from the moniker of Brendon McCullum, the team’s head coach, will continue regardless of the surface in Multan.

“We’re going to play to win every game,” he declared after Monday’s victory, which was the seventh win in eight Tests since the McCullum-Stokes duo took over in May. “We’re going to play to win every game,” he added.

“It’s not always going to work, but if you’re brave enough and eager enough to go out and play in that fashion, it’s still going to be entertaining even if you lose a game,” the coach said.

There is also the possibility that the weather plays a role. The provincial government has issued a fog notice for the next several days, which may cut into the amount of time available for playing.