PAK vs ENG: England included star fast bowler in place of Liam Livingston, has not played any Test match since March

Ignoring Pakistan’s move to make the Multan pitch spinner-friendly, England have included fast bowler Mark Wood in their squad for the second Test starting on Friday. Mark Wood has not played Test cricket for some time. Wood has not played a Test match since March this year due to an elbow injury. He also did not play in the English county season.

England won by 74 runs in the first Test match played in Rawalpindi. After winning this match, fast bowler Mark Wood has been included in the team in place of injured Liam Livingston. Liam Livingstone has returned to England after injury. England captain Ben Stokes said on Thursday about Wood’s inclusion in the team, “A bowler who bowls at a speed of 150 km will be like a bonus in any team.”

Injury also happened during T20 World Cup

Mark Wood suffered a hip injury during the T20 World Cup, due to which he could not play in the semi-final against India. After this, he could not recover even in the final against Pakistan. He was expected to be fit for the start of the series against Pakistan but perhaps England decided to give him a little more rest and didn’t include him in the first match. However, now the fast bowler will be seen in the second encounter and will try to trouble the Pakistani batsmen with his pace.

England’s playing XI for the second Test against Pakistan

Jack Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Will Jacks, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach, Mark Wood and James Anderson