Pakistan vs England: Brydon Carse can fill Mark Wood’s Test role for tourists, says Nasser Hussain

Nasser Hussain has tipped Brydon Carse to fill the pace-bowling void left by Mark Wood when England’s Test tour of Pakistan begins in Multan on Monday.

Durham quick Carse is in line to make his Test debut, as the three-match series begins live on Sky Sports, after impressing during England’s white-ball contests with Australia last month.

Wood, who starred when England won 3-0 in Pakistan in 2022, has been ruled out until the end of the year with an elbow injury.

“Mark Wood is injured, he had a huge role to play out there last time. Jimmy Anderson has retired,” former England captain Hussain told Sky Sports News.

“I think someone like Brydon Carse can do that Mark Wood role. I was impressed with Carse in the white-ball cricket.

“I thought he had good rhythm and good pace.”

Carse missed three months of the domestic summer after being banned for historical breaches of betting rules, returning to action for Durham at the end of August.

The South-African born 29-year-old featured in all five of England ODIs against Australia, twice taking three wickets as the home side fell to a 3-2 series defeat.

England’s other pace options in Pakistan will be star of the summer Gus Atkinson, along with Chris Woakes, Matthew Potts and Olly Stone.

A quad injury has denied 20-year-old Josh Hull the opportunity to build on making his international debut in the final home Test of the summer against Sri Lanka.

Hussain added: “It really depends on what sort of pitches Pakistan produce. In the recent series they produced a couple of green-tops, so then the seamers will come into play.

“The likes of Atkinson, who was the player of the summer, for me, for England – obviously with bat and ball.

“But Brydon Carse, he’s got a lot of pace and if they’re the flat pitches that England played on last time, then you’re going to need that express pace as well as skill, and Carse provides that.”

‘Leach in good rhythm’

England captain Ben Stokes will also have multiple spin options, with Shoaib Bashir, Rehan Ahmed and veteran Jack Leach all selected.

Bashir was preferred during this summer’s home series against West Indies and Sri Lanka, but Leach is another who impressed on England’s last tour of Pakistan.

Hussain said: “In the spin department, you’ve got Bashir, Rehan Ahmed and Jack Leach.

“I was watching some of the Somerset games towards the end of the summer and Leach looked like he had really, really good rhythm in those actually.

“He’s obviously missed out because of Bashir, his Somerset team-mate, going past him but I think he’s done a really good job for Somerset and he had a good tour out there last time.”

Pakistan come into the series having suffered a surprise 2-0 home series defeat to Bangladesh across August and September, leaving them five Test matches without a win.

Hussain insists that regardless of Pakistan’s form, it won’t be “easy” for England to leave victorious once more.

“Pakistan are always a mercurial side that have ups and downs, but at the moment, they’re on a real low, in all formats,” he said.

“They didn’t have a great (T20) World Cup. They’ve got another coach-captain combination in Jason Gillespie and Shan Masood, their star batter Babar Azam hasn’t got a half-century in his last eight Test matches and has just given up the white-ball captaincy.

“But you’d be a fool to say that going to Pakistan and winning is an easy job to do. They’re a very proud cricketing nation, they won’t like the slump that they’re in, and they will still be a force at home.

“I think all eyes will be on Pakistan and whether they can up their game, because I think we sort of know what we’re going to get from Ben Stokes and his team.”

Pakistan vs England schedule – live on Sky Sports

First Test: Multan – October 7-11

Second Test: Multan – October 15-19

Third Test: Rawalpindi – October 24-28

Every match from the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup is also live on Sky Sports from October 3-20 with Australia aiming for a third straight title and seventh overall, and England seeking to triumph for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2009.

Watch the first Test between Pakistan and England in Multan, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 5.30am Monday (first ball 6.30am).