Pakistan roll the dice and gamble on spin trio for second Test with England

Hosts drop regulars and bring in veteran spinners in the hope the Multan pitch used last week will turn this time

“There is no change in the approach,” insisted Azhar Mahmood, Pakistan’s assistant head coach, as he fielded questions on Monday about what had been a tumultuous 72 hours. Minutes after he spoke the team for the second Test dropped, and there had been a complete change in the approach.

Just seven weeks ago Pakistan fielded an all-pace attack against Bangladesh; last month their captain, Shan Masood, said they would prepare seam-friendly strips for this series because they “don’t have the quality of spinners to take 20 wickets in a match”; last week their two specialist seamers bowled 57 overs; this week there is only one left, and he’s a part-timer. Instead they have rolled the dice on spin.

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Source: Cricket - The Guardian