England will lock horns with Pakistan in the first of the 3-match Test series which gets underway at the Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester later in the day. While England continue with their red ball engagement after beating the Windies in the 3-match Test series at home, Pakistan will play their first international series and make a comeback of sorts to the international arena amid the Covid-19 era.

Pakistan's last international engagement was around 6 months back in February when they won a Test match against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi. Pakistan won the series opener of the 3-Test against Bangladesh while the other two games were called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The recently concluded England vs West Indies series also marked the resumption of international cricket after the COVID-19 outbreak. England clinched the series by 2-1 and continued to lay claim of being one of the strongest teams in the longer format on their home turf.

Pakistan would have an uphill task against a very potent England side which has lost just two Test series at home since 2010. South Africa in 2012 and Sri Lanka in 2014 are the only visiting team to have beaten the English in their backyard over a decade.

The last time when Pakistan won a Test series in England was in 1996. Since then they endured in 2 losses and 3 series draws. In the past 10 years, Pakistan have won the most number of games on English soil and also has the second-highest winning percentage after South Africa. Pakistan Team has that ability to perform and win games in English situations.

With this series also being played under the fold of the ICC Test championships, England will look to continue their winning run and add clinch a second straight series win to further move up the points table from their number 3 spot. For Pakistan, fitness is the major concern as a few players have made their comeback after getting cured of the COVID-19 virus.

Here is everything you need to know about the England vs Pakistan 1st Test:

What time does the 1st Test between England and Pakistan begin?

The England vs Pakistan 1st Test match start at 3:30 PM IST on August 5 (Thursday). The toss will take place at 3:00 PM IST.

Where is the first test between England and West Indies being played?

The match will be played in at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester.

How can one watch live coverage of England vs Pakistan 1st Test?

The England vs Pakistan 1st Test match will be telecasted live on Sony Sports Network: Sony Six, Sony Six HD, Sony Ten Sports 1, Sony Ten 1 HD

How to watch the live streaming of England vs Pakistan 1st Test?

Other than the Sony Sports Network's platforms, the England vs Pakistan match will be aired live Airtel TV and Jio TV.

Squads:

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

Pakistan: Squad: Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali(c), Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Shadab Khan, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Fawad Alam, Sohail Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Kashif Bhatti