London (Web Desk): Pakistan chose to put England in to bat after winning the toss in the second Test of the three-match series at Lord’s on Thursday.
The visitors have made one major alteration to their XI, with Babar Azam coming back into the team after sitting out the series opener at Headingley. Salman Ali Agha, who led Pakistan as stand-in captain in the first Test, has been omitted from the playing side.
The two sides have met 93 times in Test cricket, with England holding the edge with 31 victories compared with Pakistan’s 23. A further 39 Tests between the teams have finished without a winner.
Pakistan will take confidence from their recent performances in London, where they have won their last three Tests against England. They recorded victories at Lord’s in 2016 and 2018, before completing another win over England at The Oval in 2016.
England have registered two wins in their last five Test matches, but their confidence will be particularly high after their emphatic showing in the opening game. The hosts crushed Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley to take an early lead in the series.
With England carrying the advantage from the first Test and having produced a well-rounded display with both bat and ball, the home side will be determined to keep Pakistan under pressure at Lord’s and wrap up the series with another commanding result.
Teams
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Azan Awais, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (c), Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Ali Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali and Mohammad Abbas.
England: Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jordan Cox, Joe Root (c), Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith (wk), Ollie Robinson, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue.