Eng Pak T3 Preview: England Name Unchanged Squad; Zulqarnain Out on Injury for Pakistan

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Sreelata YellamrazuAug 17 2010

Both teams go into the third Test with a few questions still hanging in the air. However, England have the luxury of being 2-0 up.

pakistan training camp

The third Test of the England Pakistan Test series gets underway tomorrow at the Kensington Oval and it is Pakistan who will need to get off the couch if they are to prevent England making a clean sweep of things.

However, while England will go into the match with an unchanged squad, showing their level of comfort and ocnfidence, Pakistan will have to enforce at least one change. Just when Pakistan thought they had found a suitable replacement, their chances have been hit by injury.

The erring Paksiatn wicket keeper, Kamran Akmal, was "rested" for the second Test and in came debutant Zulqairnan Haider who impressed with his gutsy efforts with the bat. However, he will not be able to build on after a hairline fracture has ruled him out of the series. Although Haider remains optimistic of an outside chance in the fourth Test, he may have inadvertently given Akmal his place back. Pakistan have not sought a replacement.

Salman Butt will also have little choice but to include Mohammad Yousuf in the line up after backing the youngsters in light of the latest injury and Shoaib Mallik in wretched form.

kevin pietersen in practice

Meanwhile, the England captain, Andrew Strauss, and the England team management are not unduly worried about Alastair Cook's form. While there were concerns about Kevin Pietersen as well, he appears to have silenced them temporarily by scratching his way out of trouble. However, Cook will perhaps need to show through the next two Tests and he is a fighter and that he can stage a comeback, without jeopardizing England's stability plans for the Ashes down under.

England will be looking to perfect their plans, Pakistan have their pride at stake. Salman Butt has had a tough initiation since winning the second Test against Australia.

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