Second Test preview: Pakistan vs England

England

Pakistan and England go into the second Test, of the three-match series, with their mindsets in different places after the first Test in Abu Dhabi ended in a draw.

England will take confidence from the fact that they were 25 runs short of winning a game that was destined to end in a stalemate after the first four days.

Pakistan will be pondering how they let the first game slip to the point where only bad light saved them from an embarrassing defeat.

The Asian side lacked a cutting edge in their bowling attack and clearly need to play two spinners if they want to trouble the English batsmen.

Team news

Legspinner Yasir Shah is likely to overcome the problem to his back that kept him out of the first Test and should take his place in the Pakistan starting team. One of the three seamers will most likely make way.

England allrounder Ben Stokes had a stomach bug two days before the game but captain Alastair Cook is confident the Durham player will be fit to play.

Key players

Yasir will undoubtedly be the key for the Asian team as they look to assert their dominance over the England team. The legspinner has been the form slow bowler in world cricket over the past year.

Although Adil Rashid came good in the second innings of the first Test, offspinner Moeen Ali is still England's key player as he opens the batting and performs the role of frontline spinner.

Last Five Head-To-Head Results

2015 First Test: Drawn in Abu Dhabi
2012 Third Test: Pakistan won by 71 runs in Dubai
2012 Second Test: Pakistan won by 72 runs in Abu Dhabi
2012 First Test: Pakistan won by 10 wickets in Dubai
2010 Fourth Test: England won by an innings and 225 runs at Lord's

Squads

Pakistan: Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Fawad Alam, Asad Shafiq, Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Wahab Riaz, Imran Khan, Rahat Ali, Junaid Khan

England: Alastair Cook (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Samit Patel, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Taylor, Mark Wood

Dates: 22 – 26 October
Morning session: 10:00-12:00 (06:00-08:00 GMT)
Afternoon session: 12:40-14:40 (08:40-10:40 GMT)
Evening session: 15:00-17:00 (11:00-13:00 GMT)

On-field umpires: Bruce Oxenford and Paul Reiffel
Third umpire: Brian Gaffaney
Match referee: Andy Pycroft

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