England vs Pakistan 2026 2nd Test Predicted 11: Babar Azam, Ubaid Shah IN, Azan Awais will…
Pakistan will be forced to make some changes to their playing 11 with captain Babar Azam returning for the second Test vs England at Lord's starting on Thursday.
England captain Joe Root (centre) at a training session ahead of 2nd Test vs Pakistan at Lord's. (Source: X)
ENG vs PAK 2026 2nd Test: Pakistan are set to ring in some changes with their captain Babar Azam fit and ready to return to the playing 11 for the second Test against England beginning at Lord's on Thursday. Babar Azam missed the first Test of the three-match series at Headingley due to a finger injury, which Pakistan lost by innings and 103 runs.
With Babar Azam returning to the playing 11, opener Azan Awais could be left out after bagging a first-ball duck in the first Test at Headingley. With Awais out of the playing 11, either former captain Shan Masood or batter Abdullah Shafique can be asked the open the innings with Imam-ul-Haq at Lord's with Babar Azam batting at his favoured No. 4 position.
"When you lead the Pakistan side on this ground, it's an honour. I do my best on the field as captain, and when I'm batting, I just play my game. Our stats here are good, and we'd like to continue that. We will forget about the first Test and are looking forward to this one," Babar Azam said in the pre-match press conference at Lord's on Wednesday.
Babar Azam was Pakistan's leading run-scorer in the Test series against the West Indies which ended in 1-1 draw, scoring 193 runs at an average of 96.50, including two half-centuries. The Pakistan captain has a strong record in England, averaging 65.75 across six innings, with three half-centuries to his name.
The visitors may also look to bring in pacer Ubaid Shah, brother of Naseem Shah, into the side in place of Khurram Shahzad to bolster their fast bowling resources.
Joe Root's England team, on the other hand, have released pacer Brydon Carse from the squad and replaced him with Sonny Baker. They are unlikely to make any change to their winning 11 but pressure is certainly rising on wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, who has managed to score only 423 runs in his last 19 innings.
Batter Jordan Cox will retain his place at the No. 3 position after scoring an impressive 73 in the first Test vs Pakistan with all-rounder Jacob Bethell still out injured.
England vs Pakistan 2026 2nd Test match Predicted 11
England: Emilio Gay, Ben Duckett, Jordan Cox, Joe Root (c), Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (c), Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Ubaid Shah/Khurram Shahzad, Ali Usman, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali
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