Pak vs Eng: Rehan Ahmed recalled as England prepare for ‘raked’ pitch in decider in Pakistan

England will launch a three-pronged attack on a Rawalpindi pitch that Harry Brook believes has been “raked” by the home staff in a bid to bring Pakistan’s spinners into play. Rehan Ahmed has been called up and will play alongside Shoaib Bashir and Jack Leach, with Gus Atkinson also coming in in a team that misses Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts.

Rehan played three Tests in India earlier this year but has not appeared for England in any format since February. But England believe they will need him as a third-string option this week, with Pakistan pulling out all the stops in a bid to dry out the field in Rawalpindi after their 152-run victory on a recycled track in Multan.

“They’ve taken out the rakes, the fans and the heaters on the field,” Brook said. “Everyone goes and looks at the wicket and says something different…Hopefully it’s like any other Pakistani pitch. It’s good to bat for the first few days and then hopefully we can take advantage a bit at the back end of the game. “

“I think the conditions are going to be a little different,” Brook said. “Last time we played on an extremely flat pitch. It was amazing to bat and we got a good knot rhythm going. This game will probably be a little different. It might change sooner – who knows? It might be a good pitch to start with and we’ll start with a steering wheel”.

Rawalpindi’s lush square may have influenced England’s selection, and reverse swing is unlikely to be a major factor this week. At Multan, the stripes on either side of the Test pitch were cut and were dry and abrasive in the second Test, allowing England’s seamers to reverse the old ball. This week, there are only three strips across the square: the test field and two practice fields.

Brook was bowled out for 9 and 16 by the Pakistan spinners in the second Test, and predicted that Sajid Khan and Noman Ali will play “an important role” in Rawalpindi. “I’ve talked to some of the guys about the game plans and how we’re going to approach it,” he said. “Hopefully it will pay off and I will play a big part in the game.”

It was in Pakistan two years ago that Rehan made his international debut as an 18-year-old, taking 5 for 48 in the second innings in Karachi to set up England’s eight-wicket win, which secured a 3-0 clean sweep. His progress has not been linear since then and he was expensive in India earlier this year, taking 11 wickets at 44.00 in three appearances and conceding more than four runs per over.

This summer, Rehan was outclassed by his younger brother Farhan in the County Championship and his earnings fell in white-ball cricket: he was dropped early in the Hundred by Southern Brave after two costly outings, and was then left out of the England T20I. . and ODI squads against Australia in September.

But England have been a long-time admirer: Rehan was famous for bowling at the age of 11 and has been in the national set-up for his entire professional career, starting at Under-19 level. He heads into the second year of a two-year central contract, and has also worked on his batting this summer, with four championship fifties, and will bolster England’s lower order from the No. 9 spot.

Carse and Potts are officially rested, with Atkinson returning after taking figures of 4 for 145 in England’s victory in the first Test. Carse has been the standout bowler of the England tour, taking nine wickets at 24.33 in his first two appearances, but he has bowled 67 overs in the series and played consecutive Tests.

England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (captain), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Gus Atkinson, 9 Rehan Ahmed, 10 Jack Leach, 11 Shoaib Bashir.

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