Pakistan drop star players for England Test

Pakistan have made four changes to the side for the second Test against England after resting senior cricketers including former captain Babar Azam from the rest of the series.

All-rounder Kamran Ghulam will make his Test debut, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Monday, as the hosts look to bounce back from a historic loss in the first Test.

Ghulam, 29, has previously represented Pakistan in a 50-over match in January 2023.

Spinners Noman Ali, Zahid Mehmood and Sajid Khan have also been named in the team with Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Sarfaraz Ahmed rested along with Azam.

Ali, 38, played his last Test in July 2023 while 36-year-old Mehmood has not represented Pakistan since December 2022. Khan's previous Test appearance was in January.

The second of the three-Test series will be played from Tuesday in Multan, the same venue as the first, with the third match set for Rawalpindi from Oct. 24.

Pakistan team: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (captain), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mehmood