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| Injuries to Imran Khan and Mark Wood are a concern, but the big question is whether Misbah will bow out after the Sharjah game |
Pakistan will look to win the third and
final Test against England starting on Sunday (October 31) in what may
well be the farewell game for Misbah-ul-Haq, the country's most
successful captain.
Misbah,
41, has hinted at retirement after the ongoing series, having quit
one-day cricket after the ICC World Cup 2015, but has kept his cards
close to the vest. Nevertheless, the
Pakistan captain's personal form and fitness have been splendid --
having scored 3, 51, 102 and 87 in his last four innings -- suggesting
that he can carry on playing in the longest format.
Pakistan
has gone 1-0 up against England, winning the second Test by 178 runs in
Dubai after seeing out a spirited fight from Adil Rashid, which took
the game into the last session on the fifth day.
The Sharjah pitch has
been re-laid and, with Yasir Shah taking eight wickets in Dubai after
returning from a back injury and Zulfiqar Babar picking up three
wickets, Pakistan will be keeping its fingers crossed for another
spin-friendly surface. Yasir also had the opportunity to work with the
legendary Shane Warne during practice on Thursday, and will be one to
watch out for.
England have problems of
its own with Jos Butler struggling for runs, with only 34 runs in four
innings so far. The wicket-keeper-batsman is likely to be replaced by
James Taylor, the middle-order batsman, who will make an appearance in
his first Test after three years.
Mark
Wood, who was England’s best seamer in the 178-run loss in Dubai with
five wickets, will also miss out with an ankle injury. Liam Plunkett is
the frontrunner to replace him, although Chris Jordan could also get a
look-in.
England,
who was blanked 3-0 by Pakistan in the UAE three years ago, might
consider drafting in Samit Patel, the left-arm spinner, to provide back
up for Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid and avoid a similar repeat this time
around.
Teams (from):
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq
(capt), Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Fawad
Alam, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir
Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Wahab Riaz, Imran Khan, Rahat Ali, Junaid Khan,
Bilal Asif.
England: Alastair
Cook (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Samit Patel, Jonny Bairstow,
Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wk), Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett,
Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Taylor, Mark Wood, Chris
Jordan.
Source: ICC