Good News For Pakistan! Star Batter Returns To Training Ahead Of 1st Test Against England

Pakistan will face England in a three-match Test series, with the series opener scheduled to take place at Headingley in Leeds from August 19.

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Shan Masood returns to training ahead of 1st Test against England. (Picture Credit: AFP)

Pakistan men’s cricket team is in England these days to take part in a three-match Test series, which is crucial for them in their bid to keep their World Test Championship (WTC) 2027 final hopes alive. Ahead of the start of first Test of the away series in Leeds from August 19, Pakistan have received a big boost.

Their star left-handed batter and former Test captain Shan Masood has returned to training, which has raised hopes of his participation in the first Test against the Three Lions.

Masood scored a century for Pakistan in the first innings of the first Test against the West Indies last month in Tarouba but suffered a finger injury, because of which he missed the second Test in Port of Spain.

“The national Test squad took part in a practice session at Kent County Cricket Club in Beckenham. The players participated in batting and bowling net practice during the session,” Pakistan said in a statement.

“Injured batter Shan Masood also took part in the practice session. Under the supervision of the medical team, he carried out batting practice,” they added.

In Shan’s absence, Abdullah Shafique batted at No. 3 for Pakistan in the second Test against the West Indies at Queen’s Park Oval and scored a brilliant unbeaten century in the first innings to help them end the losing run of eight away Tests.

Even though Shafique impressed with his batting in Shan’s absence, the former Pakistan Test captain will certainly be part of Pakistan’s playing XI in the Test series against England if he is fit and available for selection.

Masood has played many county matches in England over the years, and his experience will help Pakistan in the upcoming away series, which is a must-win for Pakistan after they played a 1-1 draw against South Africa and the West Indies and suffered a 0-2 defeat in the away series against Bangladesh in the ongoing WTC 2025-27 cycle.

Pakistan Test squad for England series: Babar Azam (C), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah

About the Author

Harshit BishtSenior Sub-editor

Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist at CNN-News18, where he has been covering cricket, football, and major sporting events from around the world since July 1, 2024. Driven by a passion for storytelli…Read More

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Original source: https://www.news18.com/cricket/