Ben Stokes returns to captain England in the second Multan Test against Pakistan on Tuesday, nine weeks after a hamstring injury in The Hundred.
Declared fit, Stokes prepared on the sidelines during the first Test, building his workload with batting, bowling, and slip-catching drills.
Matt Potts is the only other change to the XI that defeated Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs. England fields an all-Durham seam attack with Stokes, Potts, and Brydon Carse, who took four wickets in the first Test.
Stokes and Potts replace Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson, both rested for this match.
Despite Pakistan reusing the same pitch, England will stick to the same balance—three seamers and two spinners. Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir are the named spinners, with Rehan Ahmed missing out.
Stokes previously led England to a historic 3-0 whitewash in Pakistan in 2022, and last week’s win under Ollie Pope extended England’s streak to four consecutive wins over Pakistan.
England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.