Pakistan Beat County Select XI in Final Warm-Up Before England Tests

Pakistan finished their warm-up campaign the way they will hope to finish the real thing: chasing down a target with a century to spare. Saud Shakeel’s unbeaten 100 carried Pakistan to a seven-wicket win over Professional County Club Select XI at Kent, three days before the first Test against England begins at Headingley.

This was the same three-day fixture where Babar Azam was struck on the hand on day two and sent for a precautionary rest. Pakistan finished it without him, and still won comfortably.

How the Chase Went

Set 262 to win, Pakistan got there in 57.1 overs for the loss of three wickets, built around a match-defining stand at the top of the order.

Opener Imam-ul-Haq made 80 off 88 balls, then retired not out to give others time in the middle. Saud Shakeel, coming in at No. 3 after Azan Awais fell for one, batted through to an unbeaten century, finishing on 100 off 147 balls with 10 fours and three sixes. The pair put on 127 together, the partnership that took the chase out of reach.

Mohammad Rizwan added 33, Muhammad Awais Zafar an unbeaten 30. From three down and Babar unavailable, Pakistan barely broke stride.

Ali Usman’s Five-For Set Up the Chase

Before any of that batting mattered, Pakistan had to bowl PCC Select XI out for the second time.

Left-arm spinner Ali Usman took 5 for 42 as the hosts, resuming on 128 for 3 and leading by 195, folded for just 194, adding only 66 runs to their overnight total on the final day. Ubaid Shah took two, and Salman Ali Agha, Sajid Khan and Mohammad Ali picked up one apiece.

Charlie Falconer top-scored for PCC with 56, having also made a half-century in the first innings. Saif Zaib and No. 10 Manny Lumsden both chipped in with 24 in the run chase toward a lead that ultimately wasn’t enough.

The Lumsden Connection

Manny Lumsden’s name appears twice in Pakistan’s story from this match, and only one of those appearances is in the scorecard.

It was Lumsden’s rising delivery that struck Babar Azam on the hand on day two, the blow that forced Pakistan’s captain out of the rest of the fixture. Two days later, Lumsden was still playing, contributing 24 runs and a wicket in Pakistan’s second-innings chase, while the man he had struck was already back in the nets.

Full details: Babar Azam Hand Injury: PCB Confirms Return Date

Full Scorecard

PCC Select XI: 305 (S. Zaib 65, M. Fisher 62 not out, C. Falconer 59; T. Haines 51; M. Ali 3-23, M. Abbas 3-37) and 194 (C. Falconer 56, J. Rew 40; A. Usman 5-42, U. Shah 2-9)

Pakistan: 238 (A. Shafique 61; S. Bashir 4-76) and 264-3 (S. Shakeel 100 not out, I. ul-Haq 80 retired not out)

Result: Pakistan won by 7 wickets.

What It Means Before Headingley

Warm-up form does not decide Test matches, but it sets a tone, and this was a good one to take into a series Pakistan need to win.

Saud Shakeel and Imam-ul-Haq both arrive at the first Test with runs behind them. Ali Usman’s five-wicket haul gives the spin attack a warm-up performance to build on. And the side did all of it without its captain in the second innings, which is exactly the kind of depth question Pakistan needed answered before finding out whether Babar is fit for Thursday.

The first Test begins 19 August at Headingley.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Pakistan win their final warm-up match before the England Tests? Yes. Pakistan beat Professional County Club Select XI by seven wickets at Kent, chasing 262 in 57.1 overs.

Who was Pakistan’s top performer in the match? Saud Shakeel, with an unbeaten 100, and Ali Usman, who took 5 for 42 to help bowl out PCC Select XI’s second innings for 194.

Did Babar Azam bat in Pakistan’s second innings chase? No. Babar was ruled out of the remainder of the match as a precaution after being struck on the hand on day two, and did not feature in the chase.

When does the first Test against England start? 19 August at Headingley, three days after this warm-up match concluded.