The Cricketer runs down the who, what, where, when, why, and which channel ahead of the three-Test series between Pakistan and England, beginning at the start of December
The three-match Test series between Pakistan and England.
The first Test will take place at Rawalpindi despite late speculation that it might be moved to Karachi for security reasons in light of political unrest in the country and the assassination attempt on Imran Khan. However, it has since been confirmed that the schedule will remain unchanged.
The second Test will be played in Multan, before the teams return to Karachi – where they will be based during the Rawalpindi Test in any case – for the series finale.
December 1: First Test v Pakistan, Rawalpindi (10am local time, 5am GMT)
December 9: Second Test v Pakistan, Multan (10am local time, 5am GMT)
December 18: Third Test v Pakistan, Karachi (10am local time, 5am GMT)
Rehan Ahmed was a late call-up by England (James Chance/Getty Images)
England were due to return to Pakistan last autumn for a whistlestop tour ahead of the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates but pulled out late on controversially.
They have since made the landmark trip back to Pakistan for the first time in 17 years for a seven-match T20I series that acted as perfect preparation for the T20 World Cup in Australia, which eventually culminated in a final between the two teams.
This is the first Test series between the sides in Pakistan since 2005, though, when Inzamam-ul-Haq was the player of the series and Pakistan won 2-0 in a three-Test contest. Shoaib Akhtar was Pakistan's leading wicket-taker, while Andrew Flintoff was most prolific for England.
That shows how much has changed since then. Unsurprisingly, James Anderson is the only survivor from England's 2005 squad set to be involved this time around.
These teams have met regularly outside of Pakistan, of course, perhaps most notably when Pakistan came to the United Kingdom for a series during the Covid summer of 2020.
Pakistan men have included four uncapped Test players in the squad for the upcoming series.
Legspinner Abrar Ahmed and Zahid Mahmood, who has played five white-ball matches, are joined by seamers Mohammad Ali and Mohammad Wasim Jnr.
There is no place for Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is unavailable for selection after he underwent an appendectomy. Fawad Alam, Yasir Shah and Hasan Ali have all been left out from the squad which faced Sri Lanka in July.
There is plenty of excitement over Abrar, the leading wicket-taker in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with 43 in six matches for Sindh.
Thirty-year-old Ali from Central Punjab is the leading quick in the competition with 24 scalps at 25.54
Mahmood, whose international debut came against Australia in March, has 13 wickets this term and averages 23.37 in first-class cricket.
Babar Azam will captain Pakistan (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
For England, Keaton Jennings returns to the fold, while Ben Duckett and Will Jacks have been rewarded for fine domestic seasons with call-ups.
The surprise inclusion is Liam Livingstone, who has barely featured in first-class cricket over the course of the past three years. Since the end of 2019, Livingstone has only played eight matches and has a top score of 25.
Rehan Ahmed is a late addition to the squad; the 18-year-old leg-spinning allrounder has been called up via England Lions.
Stuart Broad is not included as he and his partner are expecting their first child during the series, while Matt Potts is a notable omission.
The seam bowling unit includes James Anderson, Jamie Overton, Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood, who is picked in a Test squad for the first time since the Caribbean tour in March.
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Ali, Shan Masood, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Saud Shakeel, Zahid Mahmood, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed
England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Will Jacks, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood
Sky Sports are carrying live coverage of the series across their various channels.
BBC Radio Five Live will have ball-by-ball commentary of the series, which can be accessed either via the BBC Sport website or the BBC Sounds app. The website will also carry regular clips.
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