England v Pakistan, 2nd Test, Southampton
Pro tip
Bowlers might again play a big role, like in the first Test, so it is better to pack your team with more of them. The teams will want to bat first and put up a big score. With Ben Stokes out, England might make a couple of changes and try to bring Sam Curran and Zak Crawley in. Watch out for the team updates before finalising your XI.
Our XI: Dom Sibley, Azhar Ali, Joe Root, Babar Azam, Ollie Pope, Chris Woakes, Naseem Shah, Yasir Shah, Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer/Sam Curran, Shaheen Shah Afridi
NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates.
Captain: Stuart Broad
Broad took six wickets in the first Test and looked the best bowler along with Chris Woakes. Broad is attacking the stumps a lot more and has been troubling most batsmen since the 2019 Ashes. He is also at the top of the World Test championship wicket-takers' list, and looks primed to add to that tally.
Vice-captain: Yasir Shah
Yasir took eight wickets in the first Test and troubled all the English batsmen. If Pakistan bat first, he could be super useful as the pitch becomes slow and dry over time. Even otherwise, we would recommend you back Yasir, since he looks in good touch with his speed and accuracy.
Hot picks
Chris Woakes: Woakes was Player of the Match in the first Test. He has taken 15 wickets this season at an average of 15.8. At home, Woakes picks a wicket once every seven overs. Not to forget, his batting form is back.
Babar Azam: Azam showed glimpses of what he is capable of in the first Test with a stroke-filled 69 that had 11 boundaries. Since the start of 2019, he averages 69.41 with four centuries and four half-centuries in 14 innings.
Value picks
Naseem Shah/Sam Curran: Naseem bowled exceptionally well in both innings in the first Test. Although he got just two wickets in the match, he created a lot of problems for the England batsmen, who were in control of their shots only 80% of the time against him.
Curran could potentially replace Stokes or a fast bowler. His left-arm angle could be useful against the Pakistan middle-order, which is dominated by right-hand batsmen. So wait for the toss and pick Curran if he is there.
Ollie Pope: Pope was England's best batsman in the first innings. When the chips were down, he scored 62 runs from 117 balls. In the second innings, he got an unplayable ball from Shaheen Shah Afridi. Pope is a busy player and is in good form, with two 50-plus scores in this season. With Stokes out, Pope becomes even more important in the batting scheme of things.