Pakistan vs England prediction and Test cricket betting tips

Where to watch Pakistan vs England

Sky Sports Cricket & Main Event, 6am Monday

Best bets

England to win the series
2pts Evs bet365

England to have higher first-innings opening partnership in first Test
3pts 4-5 Betfair, Paddy Power

Saud Shakeel top Pakistan first-innings runscorer in first Test
1pt 9-2 Betfair, Paddy Power

Pakistan vs England prediction

England's home summer of international cricket ended with a rain-affected ODI defeat to Australia in Bristol on September 29.

Just eight days later, England's three-Test series against Pakistan begins in sweltering Multan and six of the team who took on the Aussies at the County Ground are in the touring party.

International cricketers are used to tight schedules and quick turnarounds, although England fast bowler Olly Stone, whose wedding takes place in Norfolk next weekend, faces a particularly hectic itinerary.

The tourists will be buoyed by memories of their Test series in Pakistan in December 2022, when England's blistering batting and brilliant bowling sealed a 3-0 clean sweep on lifeless pitches.

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook all scored centuries on the first day of that series, powering England to 506-4 from just 75 overs.

Brook finished the three Tests with 468 runs from five innings but none of the key pace bowlers from that tour – James Anderson, Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson – are in the squad and captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the first Test with a hamstring injury. Pope will continue to deputise as captain.

England won their first five home Tests of the summer against the West Indies and Sri Lanka before a lackadaisical defeat to the Lankans at The Oval.

However, they face a Pakistan side who are winless in their last ten home Tests. An attritional 1-0 defeat to Australia was followed by the 3-0 loss to England and two high-scoring draws with New Zealand in Karachi.

More sporting pitches were prepared for August's series against Bangladesh but the strategy backfired for Pakistan. They lost the first Test by ten wickets, having declared the opening innings of the match at 448-6, and the Tigers recovered from 26-6 in reply to 274, to seal a 2-0 series win in Rawalpindi.

Captain Shan Masood has clung onto his job but the manner of the Bangladesh defeat suggests England have a good chance of franking the form of their 2022 victory.

England's rate of runscoring should get them into strong positions and they are worth backing to win the series while Crawley and Duckett, reunited at the top of the order, can outperform their Pakistan counterparts in the first innings in Multan.

Pakistan lost their first wicket with the score at three, five, nought and seven in the two defeats to Bangladesh and England opener Duckett averaged 71.4 on the 2022 tour. 

Saud Shakeel scored 63 and 94 in the Multan Test against England two years ago, having made 37 and 76 on his Test debut the previous week, and he is now a vital part of Pakistan's middle-order.

After unbeaten knocks of 125 against New Zealand and 208 against Sri Lanka in 2023, Shakeel started the Bangladesh series with a methodical 141 and England's bowlers may find him hard to dislodge again.

Pakistan vs England schedule

Monday to Friday: First Test, Multan
October 15 to 19: Second Test, Multan
October 24 to 28: Third Test, Rawalpindi

Pakistan vs England team news

Pakistan
Fast bowler Khurram Shahzad (side) is injured but all-rounder Aamer Jamal returns after a back injury.

England
Opener Zak Crawley is available after a broken finger. Ben Stokes (hamstring) has been ruled out, so Ollie Pope will captain the side again with Chris Woakes batting at number seven. Fast bowlers Mark Wood and Josh Hull are injured so Brydon Carse makes his debut.

Pakistan vs England weather

Sunny and dry for all five days with temperatures ranging from 31C to 37C.

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