Pakistan captain Shan Masood warned on the eve of Monday's first Test in Multan that his side would still be facing a formidable England, despite the absence of their captain Ben Stokes. Ollie Pope will again lead England after deputising successfully in the recent 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka as Stokes, 33, was ruled out as he recovers from a hamstring injury.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We all know the quality of Ben Stokes," said Masood on Sunday ahead of the start of the three-Test series. "He is one of the top all-rounders of the world."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"England's strength will not lessen with one individual (missing)," he warned. "They are still very competitive.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"If you look at their playing eleven then it's very balanced with all-rounders, and they have two spinners and three fast bowlers with deep batting, so their loss is that of an individual."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Stokes led England to an emphatic 3-0 Test series victory on England's last tour in 2022, the first time Pakistan had been swept at home.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England return with Pakistan on a painful losing streak -- winless in their last 10 home Tests and suffering a humiliating 2-0 home defeat to Bangladesh last month.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"They've obviously not had their strongest run recently, but we still see them as a highly skilled side," said Pope. "They are a team we don't take lightly."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Pakistan named their team with a bowling attack of two fast bowlers in Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, medium-pacer Aamer Jamal and frontline spinner Abrar Ahmed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
An impressive Jamal took 18 wickets against Australia in three Tests in his debut series earlier this year, but missed the Bangladesh series with a back problem. He also contributed 143 runs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"With Jamal we get an edge in the seam department," said Masood.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With James Anderson and Stuart Broad retired, Mark Wood injured and Ollie Robinson not selected, none of England's pace bowlers from the 2022 series remain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But Masood cited Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse as threats.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"You cannot under-estimate anyone and need to be more cautious against any unknown player," said Masood.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The second match is also in Multan, from October 15, with the final Test in Rawalpindi beginning October 24.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\r\nPakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmad<\/p>\r\n\r\n