Eng vs Pak, 1st Test: Pakistan opt to bat first in series opener

England won the last series against West Indies 2-1.

Manchester: Pakistan captain Azhar Ali won the toss and elected to bat against England in the first Test of the three-match series beginning Wednesday at the Old Trafford.

Pakistan

"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.

England

"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.

• Pakistan win the toss and elect to bat first. #ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/bHu8uc9344

  — Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 5, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Pakistan win the toss and elect to bat first. #ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/bHu8uc9344

  — Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 5, 2020

  ">

  Pakistan win the toss and elect to bat first. #ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/bHu8uc9344

  — Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 5, 2020

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."

Both team captains

"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.

• We will bowl first in the first #raisethebat Test against Pakistan! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇵🇰#ENGvPAK

  — England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 5, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  We will bowl first in the first #raisethebat Test against Pakistan! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇵🇰#ENGvPAK

  — England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 5, 2020

  ">

  We will bowl first in the first #raisethebat Test against Pakistan! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇵🇰#ENGvPAK

  — England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 5, 2020

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.

• Azhar Ali has won the toss and chosen to bat first 🇵🇰 #ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/iavAG6cYQg

  — ICC (@ICC) August 5, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Azhar Ali has won the toss and chosen to bat first 🇵🇰 #ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/iavAG6cYQg

  — ICC (@ICC) August 5, 2020

  ">

  Azhar Ali has won the toss and chosen to bat first 🇵🇰 #ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/iavAG6cYQg

  — ICC (@ICC) August 5, 2020