England Recalls Rehan Ahmed for Series Decider Against Pakistan

England has recalled leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed for the third and final Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, joining Gus Atkinson in the squad. The duo replaces Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse from the team that lost the second Test.

Ahmed, 20, will form a three-pronged spin attack alongside Shoaib Bashir and Jack Leach, with captain Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson handling pace bowling duties.

“We know it’s probably not going to swing and seam and do all sorts in the first session, so we look at the pitch and work out what the best team is going to be,” England batter Harry Brook told BBC Sport.

Ahmed made his international debut in Pakistan two years ago at 18, becoming the youngest Englishman to play Test cricket. He took 5-48 in the third Test in Karachi, making him the third-youngest to achieve a five-wicket haul on debut.

“He’s an outstanding cricketer,” Brook praised. “It’s not just his bowling, but his batting and fielding. He’s a young lad so he has a lot of time to come. He got five-for in the last Test here, so hopefully he can do that again.”

Pakistan levelled the series 1-1 in Multan, with spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan sharing all 20 wickets. England trained in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, observing the pitch preparation.

“It’s interesting and it’s unique,” Brook said. “I think everyone is just guessing. We’ll see in a couple of days. I’d say it will be a good pitch for the first day, two days maybe, then it will start spinning.”

Sajid Khan revealed his plan to target Brook’s back-foot play, but Brook remains confident. “We’ll still look to score against them and put them under the pump. I’ll go about it a little bit differently, so we’ll see how we get on.”

England seeks its second consecutive series win in Pakistan, following a 3-0 victory two years ago. The final Test begins on Thursday.

“It’s very exciting,” Brook said. “We want to play in the big matches. It’s like a final.”