As per stokes he is playign only because they use the same pitch
Ben Stokes reveals how Pakistan decision made his return to England 'easier' as captain admits he can only play as an all-rounder for second Test
Ben Stokes had admitted his only way back into England’s team was as an all-rounder – and said Pakistan’s decision to play Tuesday’s second Test on the pitch used for the first eased his inclusion.
Stokes was planning to use himself as third seamer after replacing Chris Woakes, with Matthew Potts coming in for Gus Atkinson, finally rested after seven Tests in a row.
But on a surface that will effectively be into its sixth day from the start, much could rest on the shoulders of England’s two frontline spinners, Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir, plus the off-breaks of Joe Root.
And with Pakistan giving themselves as many as seven spin options – including specialists Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Zahid Mehmood – to accompany a lone seam-bowling all-rounder in Aamir Jamal, there was little doubt what kind of surface to expect.
Had groundsman Tony Hemming produced a flat pitch to rival the one on which England raced to 823 for seven last week, Stokes’s route into the team following his recuperation from hamstring trouble would have been less straightforward, since the seamers would have had to carry their share of the load.
Instead, Pakistan’s desperation to produce a surface they believe can help set up a decider in Rawalpindi has paved the way for Stokes to play his first Test since the end of the West Indies series in July.
‘To be honest, playing on a used wicket made the decision a little bit easier,’ he said. ‘But you like to think that this is going to spin a bit more.
‘We’ve got two workhorses in the team in Carsey and Pottsy who just keep going and going. But I’m available to bowl and when I sense the time is right for me to come on and make an impact there won’t be any doubts in my mind.’
Asked whether he had considered playing as a specialist batsman, he replied: ‘Those were the sort of thoughts that went through my head at home before we came out. I’d written a few teams down with me not bowling and it just didn’t work.’
If anything, the more disconcerted team on the eve of the Test appeared to be Pakistan, with coach Jason Gillespie and captain Shan Masood engaged in a long and animated discussion with the new selection panel out in the middle.
And while previous England sides might have moaned about the unusual step of playing successive Tests on the same pitch, Stokes’s team are just getting on with it.
‘If we went 1-0 down at home, we would probably be going to our groundsman saying, can we have a bit more of this, a bit more of that, to use our home advantage in our favour?’ he said.
‘If you look at the first Test, another wicket like that maybe gives us more of an advantage because of the way we take the game on. A used pitch brings both teams into the game a lot more. But, yeah, I’ve never seen a used pitch before in back-to-back games.’
Pakistan’s bowling coach Azhar Mahmood was unapologetic about the strategy.
‘Look, we have to take 20 wickets,’ he said. ‘We thought about how we can do that against England. To use an already used pitch, the idea is to get 20 wickets.’
Meanwhile, Carse, Potts and Stokes will constitute an all-Durham seam attack, with a fourth – Mark Wood – missing this tour through injury.
‘I’m not slowly eking all of the Durham team in, don’t worry about that,’ said Stokes. ‘It’s going to be a proud moment for the club. Durham have a great record of producing England cricketers, in particular fast bowlers.’
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