England’s fast bowling coach, James Anderson, will miss the start of the team’s Test series in Pakistan as he is currently competing in Scotland’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a golf tournament set to conclude on October 6. Anderson is expected to join the team by the second day of the first Test against Pakistan.
Although physically absent, the 42-year-old veteran has been mentoring England’s bowlers via WhatsApp, sharing his experience and offering guidance. Anderson previously played a significant role in England’s 2022 tour of Pakistan, where he played two Tests and claimed eight wickets.
In this upcoming series, England will be without Mark Wood, who has been sidelined due to injury, and Ollie Robinson, who was not selected. Both bowlers had impressive performances in the last series against Pakistan, taking a combined 17 wickets.
England's current fast-bowling lineup includes Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Ollie Stone, and Chris Woakes, who is returning to Test cricket in Asia for the first time since 2016.
Ollie Stone is scheduled to leave the team on the fifth day of the first Test due to his upcoming wedding.
The first Test between England and Pakistan will take place from October 7-11 at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
Schedule
- Oct 7-11 – First Test, Multan
- Oct 15-19 – Second Test, Multan
- Oct 24-28 – Third Test, Rawalpindi
Pakistan Squad
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), Shaheen Shah AfridiEngland Squad
Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes (c), Brydon Carse, Rehan Ahmed, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Matthew Potts, Shoaib Bashir, and Olly Stone.[embedpost slug="/race-for-pakistans-next-white-ball-captain-after-babar-azams-resignation/"]
