After England received a run-filled first Take a look at of this sequence, Pakistan opted to reuse the identical pitch in Multan for the second Take a look at. Their spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan shared all 20 wickets because the hosts levelled the sequence.
Captain Shan Masood expressed a want for the Rawalpindi pitch to show, and photos emerged on social media on Sunday of the floor being dried with industrial-sized followers, heaters and windbreaks.
Stokes had no objections to the preparation strategies, however he additionally mentioned it’s “fairly apparent” the pitch has been raked.
“I’ve by no means been a groundsman, however you’d assume a rake would help the spin,” mentioned Stokes. “We are able to have guess which ends the Pakistan spinners will function from.
“There’s not an excessive amount of grass to carry every little thing collectively. It will likely be fascinating to see the way it goes. It will likely be a reasonably good wicket for the primary couple of days, not less than.”
Ahmed, then aged 18, grew to become the youngest man to play a Take a look at for England within the ultimate match of the sequence in Pakistan in 2022, marking his debut with a five-wicket haul.
The Leicestershire bowler has performed three extra Checks since, the final of which got here in opposition to India in Rajkot in February. He has taken 18 wickets at a mean of 34.5.
“Leg-spinners have an incredible potential to interrupt a recreation open,” mentioned Stokes. “Having his batting potential decrease down the order can also be a large bonus.
“The best way Leach and Bashir have bowled has been improbable in these first two Checks. Including Rehan’s free spirit and desperation to vary the sport each time he is acquired the ball in his hand is a large bonus for us this week.”
