Pakistan v England: Ben Stokes set to be fit, same Multan pitch in line to be used
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.
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.?
