Pakistan will bat first against England in the series opener of the 3-match Test series which has got underway at Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester. Pakistan captain Azhar Ali won the toss and opted to bat against the hosts in what appeared to be good batting conditions on the opening day of the first Test at Manchester.

England come into the series on the back of their 2-1 win over West Indies in their last test engagement, Pakistan makes a comeback into the international arena amid the Covid-19 era, playing their first Test in over six months.

Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali spoke about the combination he has fielded into the match and underlined the importance of seamers in seam conducive English conditions which always aid fast bowlers.

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"We can't control the weather but we are clear in our heads. We are going with two spinner and three seamers, with Shadab (Khan) as an all-rounder," said Ali after winning the toss. "If you come to England you want to bowl fuller and make the batsmen play. We have bowlers who can hit the seam," he added.

England skipper Joe Root spoke about his team making the best out of the practice days ahead of the series opener as the hosts fielded the same playing eleven as they did in the third and final Test against West Indies

England skipper Joe Root said: "We've tried to make the most of the practice days, we have come in unchanged, we'd probably have batted first."

"Ben (Stokes) is not quite 100 per cent fit and it's too big a risk, but his runs have been invaluable and he's a huge part of the dressing room," he added.

Playing XIs:

England: Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Joe Root(c), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler(w), Chris Woakes, Dominic Bess, Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

Pakistan: Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali(c), Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Shadab Khan, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah.