LONDON
\nBen Stokes\u2019 England take on Pakistan in a three-Test series starting on Monday, buoyed by memories of an astonishing 3-0 series sweep in 2022.
\nEngland, third in the world rankings after winning five of their past six Tests, are facing a Pakistan team at a low ebb after being crushed by Bangladesh.
\nAFP Sport looks at some of the key talking points for the tourists ahead of the series, which starts in Multan.
\nStokes factor
\nEngland last month wrapped up a 2-1 series victory against Sri Lanka without skipper Ben Stokes, but he remains the team\u2019s undisputed leader and talisman.
\nThe 33-year-old all-rounder misses the first Test after failing to recover from a torn hamstring and it remains to be seen whether he will bowl when he does return.
\nThe inclusion of Stokes as a specialist batsman would alter the balance of the side England favoured in the recent Sri Lanka series, where they played five frontline bowlers.
\nThe visitors could opt to replace one of their regular top order with the skipper but it is more likely they would play four specialist bowlers and rely on Joe Root\u2019s off-spin to supplement the attack.
\nStokes has not played for two months but he showed his worth against the West Indies, scoring three fifties in his last four innings of the series.
\nBazball Mark II?
\nEngland\u2019s tour of Pakistan in 2022 came in the first few heady months of the \u201cBazball\u201d era \u2014 a method of all-out attack encouraged by Brendon McCullum, who had become coach earlier that year.
\nThe visitors set the tone for the series on the first day in Rawalpindi, smashing a remarkable 506-4, with four men making centuries. After England\u2019s 4-1 series loss in India earlier this year, McCullum spoke about the need to \u201crefine\u201d their style and a less gung-ho approach of controlled aggression has paid dividends.
\nEngland demolished the West Indies 3-0 before beating Sri Lanka 2-1 on home soil.
\n\u201cI think the style will work in Pakistan, for sure,\u201d retired England bowling great Stuart Broad said ahead of the launch of Inside Lord\u2019s, Marylebone Cricket Club\u2019s new digital platform.
\n\u201cIt was a great tour to Pakistan in 2022. All the players really enjoyed it and ultimately, England\u2019s batting group are wonderful players of spin.
\n\u201cI think they\u2019re really positive and aggressive, they can find the boundary and don\u2019t get tied down by spin.
\n\u201cEngland will have to play fast-paced cricket to force results over there because you generally do need five days to make something happen.\u201d
\nInexperienced attack
\nThe era of Broad and James Anderson is over for England, who are trying to build a new pace attack that can take the fight to India and Australia next year.
\nChris Woakes is the senior paceman and enjoyed a superb summer at home but his figures in overseas Tests are poor, while express bowler Mark Wood is out of action.
\nSurrey seamer Gus Atkinson has enjoyed a remarkable start to his Test career, taking 34 wickets in his first six games.
\nBut he, Matthew Potts and Olly Stone have just 19 caps between them and Brydon Carse will make his debut in Multan.
\nAside from left-armer Jack Leach, who is back in the fold after being deemed surplus to requirements during the English season, the spin attack is also inexperienced.
\nLeach\u2019s Somerset team-mate Shoaib Bashir has played just nine Tests while Rehan Ahmed has not featured since the India series, having made his debut in England\u2019s memorable 2022 series win in Pakistan.
\nBroad warns that inexperience could cost the visitors.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s very difficult to go into a Test match, particularly when Ben Stokes isn\u2019t playing or not bowling with three very inexperienced bowlers because if it goes wrong and the spinner\u2019s inexperienced you could lose a Test match in an hour,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON Ben Stokes\u2019 England take on Pakistan in a three-Test series starting on Monday, buoyed by memories of an astonishing 3-0 series sweep in 2022. England, third in the world rankings after winning five of their past six Tests, are facing a Pakistan team at a low ebb after being crushed by Bangladesh. AFP Sport […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":435823,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-435801","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n