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Emilio Gay, Shoaib Bashir and Matthew Fisher will fine-tune their preparations for England's upcoming Test series against Pakistan by featuring for the Professional County Club Select XI in a three-day warm-up match against the tourists at Beckenham this week.
The trio have been named in a 14-man squad for the fixture, which begins on Thursday. The match was originally scheduled to start on Wednesday but was pushed back by a day by mutual agreement, allowing the ECB to assemble its strongest possible invitational side ahead of next week's opening Test, as per Cricinfo. Emilio Gay is expected to be fully fit for the Test series after retiring hurt with a shoulder injury while batting for Durham in the One-Day Cup last week. Emilio made a half-century on his Test debut against New Zealand in June and followed it with another fifty in the second Test at The Oval, although he finished the series with an average of 23.16 from six innings. Bashir has been in limbo over the past month, making just two appearances for Derbyshire in the One-Day Cup. Nevertheless, England selector Marcus North has backed him as the "number one spinner" available. Bashir is unlikely to feature against Pakistan, with England expected to opt for four seamers and rely on Dan Lawrence's off-spin as they reshape the side following Ben Stokes' retirement. Fisher is short on match practice after bowling just 10 balls in The Hundred, but remains one of seven seamers named in England's Test squad. His chances of featuring will depend on how the other fast bowlers come through the Hundred, with Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue all potentially involved in the knockout stages, as well as whether Ollie Robinson misses the first Test on paternity leave. Pakistan arrived in the UK from their drawn Test series in the Caribbean against West Indies on Saturday, and have been training at Beckenham this week. PCC Select XI squad: Tom Haines (capt), Shoaib Bashir, Luc Benkenstein, Caleb Falconer, Matt Fisher, Emilio Gay, Nathan Gilchrist, Josh Hull, Manny Lumsden, James Rew, James Sales, Charlie Tear, Noah Thain, Saif Zaib. (ANI)
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