Rawalpind: Former England captains David Gower, Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain on Monday were included in the commentary panel for the upcoming three-match Test series between Pakistan and England in December.
While Gower had commentated in Pakistan during the Pakistan Super League and the recent seven-match T20I series between Pakistan and England in September, this will be the first instance of Atherton and Hussain touring Pakistan as broadcasters through official partnership between Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Sky Sports UK.
Apart from the trio of Gower, Atherton and Hussain, former Pakistan Test cricketers Bazid Khan, Waqar Younis and Urooj Mumtaz complete the rest of the commentary panel. As per the PCB, the three Tests will be beamed all around the globe through 27 full High-Definition cameras, including the buggy cam and complete Hawk-Eye review system.
The three Tests between Pakistan and England are part of the ICC World Test Championship’s second cycle and are scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi (December 1-5), Multan (December 9-13) and Karachi (December 17-21).
England will be playing a Test series on Pakistani soil after a gap of 17 years. They last played a Test match in Pakistan in 2005, losing the three-match series by 2-0. The visitors’ had played a seven-match T20I series here in September-October, which they won 4-3.
There was previously a scare of the first Test being shifted from Rawalpindi, following an assassination attempt on former Prime Minister and 1992 World Cup winning captain Imran Khan earlier this month, but the first Test will happen as scheduled in Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
England’s men’s and women’s teams were scheduled to visit Pakistan last year for white-ball matches, but pulled out shortly after New Zealand abandoned their tour just before the first ODI in Rawalpindi could begin, citing security reasons.
The upcoming Tests against England is Pakistan’s fifth series in the current WTC cycle – their last series will be the two Tests against New Zealand at home in December 2022 and January 2023.
These three Tests will be England’s final appearance in the second edition of the World Test Championship, where they are ranked seventh as compared to Pakistan’s fifth position in the table.
–IANS