Pakistan playing XI for 2nd Test against England announced, Kamran Ghulam replaces Babar Azam

Pakistan National Cricket Team have announced the playing XI for the second Test against the England National Cricket Team. The match between the two teams will be played from 15th October (Tuesday) at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan.

Saim Ayub, who failed to get going in the first Test, has retained his place in the team as an opener along with Abdullah Shafique. The right-hander slammed a magnificent century in the first innings of the last game and would be keen to carry on his good form.

Skipper Shan Masood will take the No.3 spot. The left-hander looked in glorious touch and played a magnificent innings of 151 runs in the first Test. He would be keen to deliver as a captain of the team and would want to register his first win as the captain.

Kamran Ghulam replaces Babar Azam in Pakistan XI

At No.4 Kamran Ghulam will be making his debut for the team. The youngster will be playing in place of Babar Azam, who was dropped from the team for the last two games. Babar also failed to deliver well, as he managed just 35 runs across two innings in the game.

Vice-captain Saud Shakeel will continue batting at No.5. He has been one of the consistent batters going for Pakistan in Test cricket. He played a vital innings of 82 runs and would be eager to carry on his golden touch with the bat and help the team win.

Mohammad Rizwan also retained his place in the team as keeper-batter. He had a horrible game with the bat in the first Test. With his teammates in Babar Azam and pacers getting dropped, the pressure would be on him as well to score runs and make an impact for the team.

Salman Ali Agha, who slammed a terrific century in the first game, is the all-rounder in the team alongside Aamer Jamal, who was decent with bat and ball in the first Test. In place of Abrar Ahmed, Noman Ali has made a cut into the team. While Sajid Khan and Zahid Mahmood are the last two names in XI.

Pakistan XI for the second Test

PCB released the squad on Twitter with the statement: "The men’s national selection committee has confirmed Pakistan’s playing XI for the second Test against England, starting in Multan on Tuesday, 15 October."

Here's the Pakistan XI for the second Test

Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Aamer Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood

Pakistan would be eager to make a comeback in the second Test

The hosts would be eager to make a comeback in the second Test. They have made massive changes to their squad. Not only Babar Azam but Sarfaraz Ahmed, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi were also dropped from the team. They would be hoping that the young side takes them to glory.

They were at the receiving end of innings and 47 runs thrashing in the first game. The Shan Masood-led side would be desperate for a win as a loss here would mean another series loss for them at home.