Pakistan captain Shan Masood wants another turning wicket for third and final test against England

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan captain Shan Masood is hoping the heat will produce another spin-friendly wicket for the third and final test against England in Rawalpindi next week after beating the tourists by 152 runs in the second test.

Spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali claimed all 20 England wickets in the second test, which not only ended Masood’s six-match losing streak as captain but also earned Pakistan its first home win since beating South Africa in early 2021.

Pakistan’s gamble paid off after it recycled the same pitch in the heat of Multan where it lost the first test by an innings last week. They even used two giant industrial-sized fans to dry out the same strip and packed its playing XI with seven spin options.

“I don’t think there’s an autumn in Pakistan. There’s a summer that runs transition into a winter, so we’re still hoping that the sun can play its part and the wicket (for the third test) can be on the drier side,” Masood said.

The series decider will be played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, the same venue where Bangladesh recorded a historic 2-0 win in September.

“I don’t know if I’ve seen it turned in Rawalpindi, that’s another issue,” Masood said. “We’ll have a look, the groundsmen are already there, they’re working on a test match pitch and we’ll try to create a good test wicket where both teams can pick up 20 wickets.”

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket