New Delhi: England men’s Test team has arrived in Multan ahead of a three-match series against Pakistan. England will play the first two Tests in Multan, starting on October 7 and 15, respectively, followed by a match in Rawalpindi beginning on October 24.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared a video of the Ben Stokes-led side arriving in the country and receiving a traditional welcome on their way of checking into the hotel. “England's Test team receives a traditional welcome as they arrive in Multan!” wrote the PCB on its X account.
England had clinched a 3-0 victory over Pakistan on their last trip in the country in December 2022. The upcoming Tests in Multan and Rawalpindi are a part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle. England are at fourth place in the WTC standing with 42.19 point percentage, while Pakistan are at 19.05 point percentage to be at eighth position.
While England come on the back of winning Test series against West Indies and Sri Lanka at home, Pakistan enter the three-game series after suffering a 2-0 series loss to Bangladesh at Rawalpindi.
Pakistan last won a Test match at home in February 2021, when they beat South Africa by 95 runs at Rawalpindi. The side’s downfall in performances in all three formats of the game, coupled with recent resignation of Babar Azam as the white-ball skipper, has meant Pakistan has been under fire from various people in the cricketing fraternity for its performances and off-field changes in the PCB.
Babar Azam resigns as Pak cricket team captainNew Delhi: Amid Babar Azam's struggles with the bat, the Pakistan star has become a constant target for trolls on social media. As the batter stepped down as the captain of Pakistan's ODI and T20I team, social media was abuzz with brutal messages. Babar took to X to announce resigning from the post in ODIs and T20Is, adding that he had informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the team management of his decision in September. Notably, it is the second time in less than a year that Babar has resigned from the captaincy of the senior national men's team. Babar stepped down as the captain of all three formats after Pakistan's dismal performance in the ODI World Cup in India in October-November last month. Earlier, Babar said captaincy added a 'significant workload' and that by stepping down, he would channel his energy into contributing to the team with the bat. "Dear Fans, I am sharing some news with you today. I have decided to resign as captain of the Pakistan men's cricket team, effective as of my notification to the PCB and Team Management last month," Babar said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. |
