Cricket

PAK Vs ENG, 2nd Test: Ben Stokes, Matthew Potts Return - Check England Playing XI

Ben Stokes replaces Chris Woakes in the England side for the second Test, with Matthew Potts, returning for the first time since the Sri Lanka series in August, replacing Gus Atkinson

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Ben Stokes
England captain Ben Stokes returns to the side.
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England captain Ben Stokes is fit to play in the second Test against Pakistan and returns alongside pace bowler Matthew Potts. (More Cricket News)

Stokes suffered the hamstring injury in August and has missed the last four Test matches, including England's record-breaking win last week as they beat Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs.

He replaces Chris Woakes in the side for the second Test, with Potts, returning for the first time since the Sri Lanka series in August, replacing Gus Atkinson, who misses out on his first Test since making his debut in July.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have made radical changes to their own line-up, dropping star batter Babar Azam along with pace bowlers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

It has also been confirmed that the second Test, beginning on Tuesday, will be played on the same pitch used for the first in Multan, which saw England post a first-innings score of 823-7.

England are targeting a victory that would confirm their second consecutive series win in Pakistan, with the hosts looking to end a two-and-a-half-year winless streak at home.

England XI for the second Test against Pakistan: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.