England's three-Test tour of Pakistan begins in Multan from October 7-11 - watch the first Test live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 5.30am Monday (first ball, 6.30am); second Test also in Multan from October 15-19; third Test in Rawalpindi from October 24-28
Sunday 6 October 2024 17:18, UK
Ahead of England's three-Test tour of Pakistan that starts in Multan on Monday - exclusively live on Sky Sports - we look back on their astonishing 3-0 series clean sweep from two years ago.
England's 'Bazball' brand of cricket blossomed on its first overseas outing, sweeping their hosts in spectacular fashion - breaking a fair few records along the way.
Can we expect more of the same in 2024? Will we see a more refined approach or more of the same from Ben Stokes' side? And will Pakistan be more prepared for the onslaught this time out?
The first Test in Rawalpindi will always be remembered for a most remarkable, record-breaking first day's play which saw England rack up a staggering 506 runs!
Let's reel off some of the notable milestones secured:
England would eventually rack up a massive 657 runs in their first innings, but the job was far from done. Pakistan too highlighted the placid nature of the pitch, boasting three centurions of their own in captain Babar Azam (136) and openers Imam-ul-Haq (121) and Abdullah Shafique (114) as they replied with a score of 579.
The 78 in arrears proved plenty for England to work with, however, as the tourists quickly cracked 264 in only 35.5 overs on the fourth afternoon, setting Pakistan 342, which would ultimately prove beyond the home side as James Anderson (4-36) and Ollie Robinson (4-50) spilt eight of the 10 second-innings wickets to fall to see England wrap up a most memorable 74-run victory.
As unconventional, eye-catching and entertaining as England's approach was in their series-opening win in Rawalpindi, there were a few twitchy moments on the final day of what otherwise looks a most emphatic of victories.
Saud Shakeel (76) and Mohammad Rizwan (46) had Pakistan within 167 runs of victory, with only three wickets down, at one stage. Even following their departures, that equation became 84 to win with five wickets in hand before Anderson and Robinson ran through the tail.
The second Test in Multan saw a similarly nervy finish, though this time it was speedster Mark Wood who was the star of the show, taking 4-65 which included a five-over spell of 3-17 either side of lunch on the fourth day which swung the game England's way.
After Brook made it two tons in two Tests for the series with his second-innings 108, Pakistan were looking well-placed to chase down their 355-run target when progressing their overnight score of 198-4 to 290-5, with Shakeel (94) again proving tough to shift until Wood denied him a maiden Test century when securing the vital - and somewhat controversial - wicket on the stroke of lunch.
Third umpire Joel Wilson deemed that stand-in wicketkeeper Pope had got his fingertips under the ball when taking the catch. It left Pakistan seven down, still requiring 64 runs to win and the tail offered little resistance after the interval.
Make that three Test matches in Pakistan and three Brook centuries as the then 23-year-old truly cemented his middle-order spot for years to come, but this win in Karachi belonged to England's youngest Test debutant, Rehan Ahmed.
At 18 years and 128 days, the Leicestershire leg-spinner was handed his first cap and subsequently became the youngest man in Test history to take a five-wicket haul on debut as his second-innings 5-48 ripped out Pakistan's middle order and turned the game on its head.
After taking two wickets in the first innings, Rehan was reintroduced to the attack as Pakistan were three down and their lead having just passed 100, but that would swiftly become six as the teenager picked up the key scalp of skipper Babar Azam for 54, added Rizwan cheaply when nicking off to a peach of a delivery and then saw off Shakeel (53) for his third in the space of four overs.
Rehan would add Mohammad Wasim (2) and Salman Agha (21) after tea to clinch his magic maiden five-for, kissing the turf in celebration as his father Naeem too celebrated wildly in the crowd.
Left with 167 to chase, Duckett led the way with an unbeaten 82 as England - victorious only twice before in Tests in Pakistan, the last coming in the dark of Karachi in 2000 - won by eight wickets to seal a historic 3-0 series sweep on their first tour of the country for 17 years
Pakistan's Test form going into this series is abysmal, having won only three of their past 17 matches, with their latest losses coming against Bangladesh, victorious over their hosts for the first time in Tests on their way to securing a 2-0 series sweep in August.
And of the three wins Pakistan did earn in that span, all were achieved across two tours of Sri Lanka, with the team now winless in their last 10 home Tests dating back to beating South Africa in February 2021. Such form has contributed to them falling to eighth in the ICC Test rankings, their lowest position since 1965.
"It's been horrible, to say the least," former women's international Urooj Mumtaz said on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast. "I don't think Pakistan themselves understand what their strength is. Their bowling has been an issue, their batting lacks prowess and there's concerns about fitness. It's a new low.
"We just haven't evolved as a red-ball side, let alone trying to catch up to Bazball and what the other teams are doing."
That said, former England captain Michael Atherton feels it will be tough for England to replicate their 3-0 victory from three years ago.
"They caught Pakistan cold last time with Bazball," Atherton said. "Pakistan are forewarned this time and I suspect will have some better plans up their sleeve.
"You'd have to say England are favourites but I do not think the scoreline will be the same as it was last time. I would be very surprised if it finished 3-0."
England captain Stokes has been ruled out of the first Test in Pakistan as he continues to recover from a torn hamstring.
Stokes sustained the injury in August while playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred and subsequently missed his side's 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka.
He had been hoping to lead his country out in Multan on Monday - live on Sky Sports - but is not yet ready to take the field.
Ollie Pope will continue to deputise as skipper after leading the hosts to a 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka, while Durham seamer Brydon Carse will make his Test debut.
Carse impressed in the one-day series against Australia and comes in to fill the fast-bowler hole left by Mark Wood, who has been ruled out for the rest of the year with an elbow injury.
Spinner Jack Leach is also included in the XI, the spinner making his return to the Test set-up for the first time since the India tour in January.
Zak Crawley, as expected, rejoins the team after fully recovering from a broken finger.,
Predicted England line-up for first Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (capt), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wkt), Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir, Jack Leach
First Test: Multan - October 7-11
Second Test: Multan - October 15-19
Third Test: Rawalpindi - October 24-28
Every match from the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup is also live on Sky Sports from October 3-20 with Australia aiming for a third straight title and seventh overall, and England seeking to triumph for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2009.
