New Delhi: England have included spinner Rehan Ahmed for the third and final Test match of the series against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. With the side already loaded with two spinners in form of Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir, Rehan’s inclusion comes as a massive boost as the Rawalpindi pitch is expected to favour the slow bowlers.
With England walking in the third Test match with three spinners, it will be a battle of ‘spin vs spin’ as Pakistan are already equipped with four quality spinners in the side, two of which – Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, helped them bag the second Test match to level the series 1-1. In addition to Sajid and Noman, Agha Salman and Zahid Mahmood too feature in the squad which makes the team favourable to excel in the spin-friendly conditions.
Why a spin-heavy attack for Rawalpindi Test?
A dry pitch prepared with the help of industrial-sized fans and heaters has prompted the English side to include an additional spinner for the series-decider against the Men in Green. The ground staff at the Rawalpindi cricket stadium have been using big-sized hot-air fans for the last few days to dry out the 22-yard strip. They have also used outdoor heaters behind the fans to accelerate the process.
England batter Harry Brook also admitted that the use of fans and heaters makes the Rawalpindi pitch just like any other pitch in Pakistan, which is good to bat on for the first few days and then proves helpful for the spinners. Brook expressed confidence that the English team would be able to exploit the conditions initially and then get a bit of turn out of it at the back end of the game. While Pakistan bagged the second Test by a massive 152-run margin, England won the series opener by an innings and 47 runs in Multan.
