Stokes set to play on same pitch as first Test

Ben Stokes has not played a Test for England since the end of July

England captain Ben Stokes looks set to be fit for a second Test against Pakistan that seems likely to be played on the same Multan pitch as the record-breaking first Test.

Stokes, who has been out since the beginning of August with a hamstring injury, bowled at full pace in the nets on Sunday in preparation for the second Test, which starts on Tuesday.

At the same time, the pitch that produced some astonishing run-scoring in the first Test was cordoned off and blown by two large fans placed at each end. The creases and bowlers’ footmarks have been repaired.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have omitted former captain Babar Azam and pace bowlers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi from their 16-man squad for the final two Tests.

There is nothing in the International Cricket Council’s conditions preventing a Test from being played on a used pitch, but using the same surface for back-to-back games would be highly unusual.

"That is what it’s looking like," said coaching consultant James Anderson, who added it would be a "first" for him after a career that spanned an England record 188 Tests.

"We don’t know what we’re going to get," Anderson told BBC Sport. "It could be another pitch, or they have repaired this one really well and it’s flat again."

The pitch for the first Test attracted much attention because of its incredibly flat nature. After Pakistan made 556 in their first innings, England broke a host of records by posting 823-7 declared, their highest total since 1938.

The tourists eventually won by an innings and 47 runs, condemning Pakistan to the unwanted record of becoming the team with the largest first-innings total to subsequently suffer such a defeat.

Overall, data analysts Cricviz ranked it as the 11th-flattest pitch anywhere in the world since ratings were created in 2007. Former England captain Michael Atherton called it "shocking" on Sky Sports.

The potential to play on the same pitch arises from the first two Tests being played at the same venue. This second Test was switched from Karachi because of renovation work being done at the National Stadium.

During the Covid era there were five instances of England playing back-to-back Tests at the same venue, but never on the same pitch in consecutive matches.

ICC regulations state: "It is expected that venues that are allocated the responsibility of hosting a match will present the best possible pitch and outfield conditions for that match."

Sanctions would only be administered retrospectively if a pitch or outfield subsequently are deemed to have played in an unsatisfactory or unfit manner.

The theory for playing on the same surface is that a fresh pitch would simply produce a repeat of last week. By playing on the old pitch, which is cracked and started to show signs of uneven bounce towards the back end of the first Test, Pakistan may feel their bowlers have a better chance against England’s powerful batting.

"Going off the last game, we did see it go up and down, mainly down, towards the back end," said Anderson, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker.

"The cracks started opening up. I’m no groundsman, but I don’t think you can make cracks go back together that easily, certainly in three days. You’d expect it to do something off the cracks and with it being dry and hot again, you’d expect the spinners to play more of a part."

If the same pitch is employed – and there is still the chance one of the strips either side is settled on – it may also help Stokes’ reintroduction into the England side.

The 33-year-old has missed four consecutive Tests and the main concern over his return would be the amount of overs he is able to bowl.

On a used pitch, England spinners Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir and part-timer Joe Root can be expected to do the bulk of the bowling, taking the load off Stokes and England’s other seamers.

"When we’re talking about Ben’s workloads and his bowling, it might play into our hands with that, with the spinners potentially playing more of a part," said Anderson.

"He looks great. He has worked really hard on his fitness and looking as strong as I’ve ever seen him. He’s had a good bowl in the nets and looks good to go."

It seems most likely Stokes would come into the England side for Chris Woakes. England may also check on the condition of pacemen Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse following their workload in the heat of the first Test, with Matthew Potts on stand-by.

Stokes and Potts were two of only five England players that took part in optional training on Sunday, alongside Bashir, Rehan Ahmed and Jordan Cox.

In the aftermath of the first-Test defeat, Pakistan made alterations to their selection panel, including adding former international umpire Aleem Dar.

Changes to the squad were expected, but it is a huge decision to leave out former captain Babar, the biggest cricketing superstar in Pakistan.

The 29-year-old is without a Test half-century since December 2022 and has been "given rest", along with Shaheen and Naseem, who are similarly high-profile and also short on form.

Abrar Ahmed misses out after being taken ill in the first Test, yet there still are four other spinners in the squad - Sajid Khan, Noman Ali, Zahid Mehmood and the uncapped Mehran Mumtaz.