RAWALPINDI: England captain Ben Stokes believes the series-deciding third Test against Pakistan starting Thursday will boil down to a spin battle on a Rawalpindi pitch likely to favor slow bowlers.
England piled up 823-7 to thrash Pakistan by an innings on a lifeless Multan pitch in the first Test, before the hosts bounced back with a 152-run win on a recycled and turning Multan track.
For the deciding match, Pakistan have kept the same combination of three frontline spinners in Sajid Khan, Noman Ali and Zahid Mahmood, with just one fast bowler in Aamer Jamal.
Pakistan have used industrial fans and heaters to dry the Rawalpindi pitch, hoping to replicate their spin-led success in Multan which ended a drought of home wins stretching back to 2021.
Stokes said his three spinners in Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir and the recalled Rehan Ahmed were equal to the challenge.
“I’ll be backing the three spinners that we’ve picked,” Stokes told reporters after a training session on the eve of the third and final Test.
“We don’t know exactly how the wicket will play, but we’ve taken as much information from it as we can.
“We think the longer the game goes, the more spin will come into play.”
Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie, the former Australia fast bowler, also expects the near-bald pitch “to favor the slower bowlers.”
The toss could be crucial, with both teams looking to bat first and maximize the impact of their spinners on a deteriorating pitch.
Pakistan have performed poorly in all formats in the past year, losing 2-0 in a home Test series to Bangladesh and crashing out of the ODI and Twenty20 World Cups in the first rounds.
A series victory over England would mark a stark change in fortunes.
“Over the last few years Pakistan’s Test cricket hasn’t been where we’d like it to be, so any win is a positive,” he said.
Ben Stokes forecasts spin battle in Pakistan-England decider
https://arab.news/47mke
Ben Stokes forecasts spin battle in Pakistan-England decider
- England captain says the longer the game goes, the more spin will come into play
- Pakistan won the second Test in Multan by 152 runs by relying on spin bowlers
Islamabad says over 580 Afghan Taliban militants killed as Pakistan, Afghanistan fighting continues
- Clashes between the two countries began on Feb. 26 when Afghan forces launched an attack on Pakistani military installations
- Islamabad has since been pounding parts of Afghanistan where it says militant targets are present, Kabul denies the allegation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has killed 583 Afghan Taliban fighters, wounded more than 795 and struck 64 locations inside Afghanistan in air attacks, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Sunday, as fighting between the two neighbors entered the second week.
Clashes between the two countries began on Feb. 26 when Afghan forces launched a surprise attack on Pakistani military installations along their shared border.
Afghanistan said the assault was in retaliation for Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes in February on what Islamabad described as militant camps inside Afghanistan.
“Summary of Afghan Taliban losses: 583 Killed, 795+ Injured, 242 Check posts destroyed, 38 Posts captured & destroyed, 213 tanks, armored vehicles, artillery guns destroyed,” Tarar said on X.
The statement came hours after Pakistan’s security forces successfully foiled an infiltration attempt by militants belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border in the
Chaman sector, according to a security official. The group, estimated to comprise three to four militant formations, attempted to breach the border fence under the cover of darkness.
“Troops detected the movement in time and engaged the militants as they attempted to cut through the border fence,” said the security official, seeking anonymity. “During the exchange of fire, one foreign terrorist was killed while the remaining militants fled the area.”
Pakistan accuses Kabul of sheltering militant groups such as the TTP on its soil and facilitating attacks against Pakistan. Afghanistan denies the allegations and has urged Islamabad to address its security challenges without blaming Kabul.
Afghanistan has called for dialogue to resolve the conflict. Pakistan, however, has rejected talks with Kabul, saying its operation “Ghazab Lil Haq” — meaning Wrath for Truth — will continue until its objectives are achieved.
Since the conflict began, diplomatic efforts have intensified, with several countries and international bodies, including the European Union and the United Nations, urging restraint and calling for talks.
