ENG vs PAK: The English are touring Pakistan for a three-match Test series as they look to prove their dominance as one of the greatest red-ball teams in the history of the game. The first test played at Multan went largely in favour of the English. Joe Root and Harry Brook, the English batters, broke the backs of Pakistan bowlers as they broke several records and rewrote the record books with intent. Brook scored his maiden triple hundred, while Root also portrayed excellence in scoring his highest-ever individual score. Now, Pakistan have made some huge changes to their squad for the next two test matches as well, which will be played in Multan and Rawalpindi, the two most high-average scoring grounds in the nation. 



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 Pakistan recently announced their squad for the two upcoming test matches, as the biggest decision in favour of Pakistan saw Babar Azam being dropped from the Pakistan squad. Also, the likes of Pakistan pace duo Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah have been dropped while they have backed their squad with some new spinners. On Monday, Pakistan as well as England both announced their squads. Many significant changes have been made to the squads, with the likes of Pakistan making 4 changes to the Pakistan side and the great England skipper making his comeback to England Test 11 after missing out on the 4 Test matches. 



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ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/pakistan-dropped-their-3-big-stars-ahead-of-the-upcoming-tests-against-england-ft-babar-azam/">Pakistan dropped their 3 big stars ahead of the upcoming tests against England ft. Babar Azam</a> Pakistan Playing 11: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood [C], Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Aamer Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, and Zahid Mehmood. This marked a significant change in the perspective of Pakistan?s form in Test cricket; the almost quick-dependent side went on to go with 4 players for a spin in the squad. They have named the two new inclusions of Zahid Mehmood, Noman Ali, and Sajid Khan alongside Salman Ali Agha as all these would bowl, leg-spin, slow-left-arm, and off-spin, respectively. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamran_Ghulam">Kamran Ghulam</a> replaces the veteran Pakistan cricketer Babar Azam in the side as he makes his debut in international test cricket. England playing 11: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, Matt Potts, Jack Leach, and Shoaib Bashir. The England team doesn?t see many changes to the squad, as Chris Woakes has been dropped from the squad as Ben Stokes, the English skipper, makes a return to the England side, while the rest of the team remains unchanged.

ENG vs PAK: Pakistan and England announce Playing 11, as Kamran Ghulam makes his debut for Pakistan while captain Stokes gears up to take to the field

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Pakistan vs England: In what proves to be an interesting development, Pakistan?s Cricket Governing-Body, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have planned to prepare are spin-friendly surface for the forthcoming 3rd Test-Match versus England in the city of Rawalpindi. The move is a part of a larger plan to help Pakistan's spinners perform better and boost the success of the national squad.



A team of national-selectors, including former pacer Aqib Javed, will be visiting the Cricket Stadium of Rawalpindi to meet well-known pitch-curator Tony Hemming. Their motive is to ensure that the the track of Rawalpindi is prepared to provide assistance to the spin bowling duo of Nauman Ali &amp; Sajid Khan, similar to the conditions that proved advantageous for the Green Shirts in the second Test-Match.



Although seam bowlers are thought to benefit more from the surface at the Cricket Stadium of Rawalpindi, the Pakistan Cricket Board is eager to change this belief and take full use of the available home conditions.



Another significant development is that the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Mohsin Naqvi, has given the Men's National Cricket Team's selection committee, consisting of five members, total authority to choose the best starting eleven for the third and final Test match of the series.



The ultimate call will be made by the selectors, who will likely confer with captain Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie for Test cricket.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pakistan secure comfortable victory in the 2nd Test-Match versus England, level the series 1-1</h2>



 The Shan Masood-led outfit finally ended their really long losing-streak at home, having previously won a Test-Match at home in 2021. The new-faces of the Green Shirts helped their team secure a win after their squad underwent some tough changes following their embarrassing defeat in the opening Test-Match of the series versus England.



29-year-old Kamran Ghulam, who replaced experienced campaigner Babar Azam at the number four spot in the batting-unit, led Pakistan's batting effort with a 224-ball 118 run inning on his debut, which helped them reach the score of 366 runs on the same worn-out Multan surface as the previous game. The visitors were reduced to 225-6 on day two by Off-break bowler Sajid Khan, who was making his comeback, after England had taken a commanding lead at 211-2 on the second day. Among his victims were Joe Root (34) and Harry Brook (9) in particular.



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The home team grabbed a commanding 75-run lead as Sajid claimed seven wickets. England had to chase 297 to win on a worn-out and dangerous surface after Pakistan scored 221 in the first innings. The fourth innings saw England bowled out for 144 runs, giving Pakistan a 152-run victory. Noman Ali, a left-arm spinner, concluded with astounding statistics of 8-46. Throughout the innings, he and Sajid Khan bowled without alteration for 33.3 overs.



Also Read: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/pak-vs-eng-updated-wtc-points-table-following-pakistans-win-in-the-2nd-test-match-pakistan-rise-to-the-8th-spot/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/pak-vs-eng-updated-wtc-points-table-following-pakistans-win-in-the-2nd-test-match-pakistan-rise-to-the-8th-spot/">PAK vs ENG: Updated WTC Points-Table following Pakistan?s win in the 2nd test-match, Pakistan rise to the 8th spot</a>



For more information, visit the official websites of <a href="https://www.icc-cricket.com/index">ICC</a> and <a href="https://www.pcb.com.pk/">Pakistan Cricket</a>

Pakistan vs England: PCB likely to prepare a spin-friendly surface for the 3rd Test-Match

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PAK vs ENG: Pakistan has finally broken the jinx at home as they secure their first Home Test series win after a long wait of 3 years. Shan Masood wins his first red-ball series as the Pakistan skipper. England, the team who are often known to feature in the highest number of test matches in a WTC, were touring Pakistan as a final series away from home. England began their campaign with a thumping win in the first test at Multan. England, the dominant batters, overpowered Pakistan on their home ground in Multan, where they posted a historic 823/7 inning total, a set of records shattered in the opening game. Pakistan made some tough calls in order to better their results at home, as they dropped the likes of veteran batter Babar Azam and even faced a huge surge of anger vented by their fans and spectators. 



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 Alongside Azam, the likes of pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah were also dropped, while spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali were picked, sighting the slow and flatter pitch across Multan and Rawalpindi. The first test marked a commanding rise of Noman Ali and Sajid Khan as both batters picked 20 wickets between them as they defeated the English to level the series. 



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 The final Rawalpindi test marked the two spinners picking 9 wickets, as Jamie Smith, the only recognized scorer for England, was dismissed by Mehmood. After Suad Shakeel posted a huge hundred and helped them alongside Noman Ali and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sajid_Khan_(cricketer)">Sajid Khan</a>, who also played vital innings? with the bat. 



ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/if-i-had-my-way-the-pitches-would-be-pat-cummins-drawing-up-for-the-border-gavaskar-trophy-2024-25/">?If I had my way, the pitches would be?? Pat Cummins Drawing Up for The Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25</a>



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 Noman Ali with a 6-for and Sajid Khan with another four-for led England to a very timid lead of 35, as Pakistan had to chase a score of 36 in their final innings. Either of these teams does not stand a chance in the WTC, as Pakistan win a series at home after 3 years as they win by a great 9-wickets.

PAK vs ENG: Pakistan won a home test series after 3 long years; Noman Ali and Sajid Khan share 39 wickets across 2-Tests to bring smiles to the Pakistani faces

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After Pakistan lost the first Test-Match of the three-match Test-Series versus England in a really embarrassing manner in the Cricket Stadium of Multan, many fans and Cricket enthusiasts thought that the Green Shirts will lose yet another home Test-Series.



However, to the surprise of many people across the globe, the Shaheens showcased their top notch game and class and after making a couple of key changes to their Starting XI, Shan Masood &amp; co clinched the series 2-1 versus a resilient England team on Saturday in the city of Rawalpindi.



Following the humiliating defeat in the opening fixture of the series, the PCB took a couple of huge and bold decisions of dropping the experienced trio of Naseem Shah, Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi from the squad for the remaining two contests and prepared a spin-friendly surface to counter the baz-ball approach of the Englishmen.



The Result - the Shan Masood-led team executed a remarkable and historic comeback in the series as they secured comfortable victories in the remaining two matches and clinched the series 2-1.



The spin bowling duo of Noman Ali and Sajid Khan turned out to be the heroes for the home side, as the duo picked up 19 English wickets across the two innings and wrecked havoc with their unpickable variations.



The Englishmen were not able to find any answers to the dominant bowling display of the Pakistani spinners as the Shan Masood-led team clinched the series despite suffering a defeat in the opening fixture.



Now the huge question which arises is, with this series win versus England, can Pakistan still qualify for the final of the WTC 2023-2025 cycle?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Does Pakistan have any chance of making their way to the final of the WTC 2023-2025 cycle?</h2>



Unfortunately for Pakistan, their race for qualifying for the trophy-deciding clash is over and they have been eliminated from that race. Despite winning their last two five-day format matches versus England, the Green Shirts have suffered from a poor run of form in the current cycle of the WTC and thus, it has cost them the chance to play in the all-important Final.



The Shaheens are currently lying in the bottom half of the overall standings at the 7th spot, with a poor PCT of 33.33.



They are scheduled to play three more Test-Matches versus South Africa, but even if they secure victories in those three-contests versus the Proteas, their win-percentage will still be less than the teams sitting in the top-half of the points table.



The Shaheens had an embarrassing outing in the three-match Test-Series versus Bangladesh, a few months ago. They ended up losing the series by a margin of 2-0 and if they would have performed in a good manner versus the Tigers, then things would have been different for them.



Also Read: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/pak-vs-eng-updated-wtc-points-table-following-pakistans-historic-victory-in-the-3rd-test-match/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/pak-vs-eng-updated-wtc-points-table-following-pakistans-historic-victory-in-the-3rd-test-match/">PAK vs ENG: Updated WTC Points Table Following Pakistan?s Historic Victory in the 3rd Test-Match</a>



For more information, visit the official website of <a href="https://www.icc-cricket.com/tournaments/world-test-championship/standings">ICC</a>

Can Pakistan still qualify for the WTC 2023-2025 Final after clinching the series vs England?

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Jomel Warrican, the slow left-arm orthodox spinner of the West Indies has been crowned ICC Men's Player of the Month for January of 2025, thanks to his brilliant performance with the ball in the two-match Test Series versus Pakistan. 
The ICC Player of the Month award recognizes the outstanding individual displays and performances of the players at the highest level of Cricket and the nominees selected for the month of January were all spin bowlers who excelled across various formats of the game. 
Warrican faced tough competition from India's mystery leg spinner Varun Chakaravarthy and Noman Ali of Pakistan. The West Indian spinner delivered the best performance of his career with the ball versus the Shaheens and helped his team draw the two-match series. 
In the first Test-Match, the 32-year-old ended the match with figures of 10-101 to his name which also turned out to be the best bowling figures of his career in the longest format of the game and with the bat, he played an unbeaten knock of 31* runs. 
In the second match of the series, he carried forward his good momentum of the first contest into the second one and delivered yet another amazing performance, as he dismissed four Pakistani batters in the first inning and followed it up with a fifer in the second inning, ending the match with figures of 9-70.
In addition to his terrific performance with the ball, the 32-year-old also contributed 54 runs with the bat as the Windies marched their way to victory in the second encounter, thereby ensuring the series ended in a draw.  
Overall, Warrican scored a total of 85 runs at a good average of 42.50 and also claimed 19 scalps at an exceptional average of nine, earning him the Man-of-the-Series award. 
<blockquote>
"Winning this award is an honor," Warrican remarked upon receiving it. "My first five-for in Test cricket was one of my goals for this year, but I didn't think it would be this significant." 
"I see this as just one little step in my cricket career, and I'm excited for many more to come." In this series, I promised my captain something spectacular, especially after my father, who is my biggest supporter, said I would give a fantastic performance.
In addition to the West Indies' historic victory over Pakistan away from home, Multan holds a particular place in my heart for receiving this esteemed honor."
</blockquote>
Also Read: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/rohit-sharma-led-team-india-will-not-take-part-in-the-champions-trophy-2025-warm-up-matches-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rohit Sharma-led Team India will not take part in the Champions Trophy 2025 warm-up matches - Report</a>

Jomel Warrican of the West Indies won ICC Men's Player of the Month award for January | Image: ICC

Jomel Warrican of the West Indies has been rewarded for his exceptional performance with both bat & ball versus Pakistan as he pipped India's Varun Chakaravarthy and Pakistan's Noman Ali to win ICC Men's Player of the Month award for January

Jomel Warrican of the Windies beats India's Varun Chakaravarthy to win ICC Men's January Player of the Month award

Jomel Warrican of the Windies beats India's Varun Chakaravarthy to ICC Men's January Player of the Month award

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India are again in the finals of another ICC Tournament. India defeated Australia by 4 wickets in the first semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

IND vs AUS: INDIA Beat AUSTRALIA in SEMIFINAL; Enters the FINAL of ICC Champions Trophy 2025

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India National Cricket Team also were magnificent in the field as likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer and others gave their best.

Watch: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma give mouthful to Kuldeep Yadav for his fielding blunder during ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final

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Pakistan cricket squad: Pakistan's ODI and T20I teams for the forthcoming tour of New Zealand have been revealed. Following the Champions Trophy fiasco, the teams have undergone significant alteration. Shadab Khan has returned, while Mohammad Rizwan is no longer the T20I captain.

PAK vs NZ: Babar Azam dropped, Salman Ali Agha the captain as PCB unveil Pakistan's squad for the New Zealand series

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With the India vs Australia semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 around the corner, Ravichandran Ashwin has suggested India's ways to stop Travis Head.

Rohit Sharma given strict orders on how to stop Travis Head in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final

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Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is all set to make a massive announcement related to the T20I captaincy of the team.

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