Returning England Test captain Ben Stokes has made it clear that he's not concerned with the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) bold decision to exclude star players Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah for the remainder of the Test series. Speaking ahead of the second Test, which begins on October 15 in Multan, Stokes emphasized that the selection decisions of the Pakistan team are not his concern.

The cricket world was shocked when the PCB announced the exclusion of Babar, Shaheen, and Naseem after Pakistan’s defeat in the first Test against England. Babar’s poor form has been a major talking point, as the Pakistan skipper managed just 30 and 5 runs in the two innings of the Multan Test, leading to his exclusion.

When asked about the Pakistansquad changes, Stokes simply said,

“That’s Pakistan cricket’s issue. Nothing to do with me.” His focus remains solely on leading his team to victory in the upcoming matches.

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Stokes, who missed the previous matche due to injury, returns to lead England in the second Test, replacing Chris Woakes. Fellow pacer Gus Atkinson has also been rested, with Matthew Potts joining Brydon Carse in England’s pace attack.

England XI for the 2nd Test against Pakistan: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith, Brydon Carse, Matt Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir

The second Test between Pakistan and England will begin on Tuesday, October 15, in Multan.