Samit Patel and James Taylor get England nod as Pakistan win the toss and bat

01 November 2015 05:46

England went all in for spin as they recalled Samit Patel for his first Test in almost three years, against Pakistan in Sharjah.

Patel, who played the last of his five Tests to date in the Kolkata victory over India in December 2012, was preferred to frontline seamer Liam Plunkett.

Also returning for England in this third Test, as widely predicted and after an even longer absence, was James Taylor in the middle order - replacing Jos Buttler, with Jonny Bairstow taking over the latter's wicketkeeping duties.

In a match England must win to earn a 1-1 series draw, Alastair Cook lost his third successive toss - and his team, inevitably, found themselves in the field again.

Pakistan were as expected, Azhar Ali replacing opener Shan Masood and Rahat Ali the second seamer alongside Wahab Riaz following Imran Khan's hand injury.

Source: PA