The England team management announced their playing XI for the third and final Test match against Pakistan which will be played in Karachi from December 17 onwards. Ben Stokes and his side lead the three-Test series 2-0 with emphatic wins in the first two Tests in Rawalpindi and Multan.
England has made two changes to their playing XI from the last Test match as wicketkeeper Ben Foakes returned to the side after he missed the first match due to a stomach bug, while Ollie Pope kept wickets. Pope was good behind the stumps and continued with the gloves for the second Test as well.
James Anderson played a major role in both Test wins and earned a well-deserved rest as England has already won the Test series, the first since 2000-01 in Pakistan.
Another change made was that 18-year-old leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed will make his Test debut in Karachi, replacing Will Jacks in the XI and will become the youngest men’s Test debutant for England.
Ahmed was added to the squad during the pre-tour camp in Abu Dhabi. He has not been directly involved in the first two Tests but has been a regular substitute fielder, in particular in the Rawalpindi Test when Liam Livingstone suffered a tour-ending knee injury.
"When we spoke about having Rehan into the squad, it was more than just bringing him in and integrating him into the squad. We did speak about us having no issues with selecting him if we felt it was the right option. I don't think this is a case of, if he was to play, of giving caps away. We picked him in the squad not just because of his talent, but because we thought it would be a good opportunity to play if we thought it was necessary," skipper Ben Stokes had said previously.
His selection at the age of 18 years and 126 days means he will surpass the long-standing record held by Brian Close (18 years and 149 days) as England's youngest male Test player.
It is worth noting that Ahmed will be the first player from a minority background selected under Stokes' captaincy. All nine XIs selected previously have been exclusively white.
England playing XI for the 3rd Test:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes (WK), Rehan Ahmed, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach, Mark Wood
(ECB inputs)
