Harry Brook averages 84.10 against Pakistan in Test cricket
Pakistan have lost five of their last seven Test matches
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A new era begins for the England cricket team as Joe Root returns as captain following Ben Stokes’s dramatic departure.
Head coach Brendon McCullum has been replaced by Stephen Fleming, who will not start until December, which means Marcus Trescothick will steer the ship for this series.
Pakistan are looking to turn around a poor run of form themselves and were victorious in a warm-up game against a County XI.
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Team news
Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence have been recalled for England while Jordan Cox is set to bat at three, with Jacob Bethell missing the entire series through injury.
Essex’s Sam Cook returns to the squad for the first time since last summer while Brydon Carse is back after a broken wrist.
For Pakistan, captain Babar Azam is a doubt for this game with a hand injury picked up in the warm-up win. Shan Masood or Salman Agha could captain in his absence.
The stats
England have won their last six Tests at Headingley.
Pakistan have only one victory in their last 10 Test matches at Headingley.
Harry Brook has four centuries in 10 Test innings against Pakistan.
Left-arm spinner Ali Usman took five wickets in the second innings of Pakistan's warm-up game against a County XI.
The latest England vs Pakistan odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Prediction
Vice-captain Brook looked potentially poised to take over from Stokes as England skipper, but the team have opted for the safe hands of Joe Root to steady the ship after what has been a tumultuous period.
That could be a blessing in disguise for Brook, who will be allowed to focus on his batting while learning from Root in regards to captaincy in the longest format of the game.
The 27-year-old has a phenomenal record against Pakistan, averaging 84.10 with four centuries and one half-century in 10 Test innings.
Brook also heads into this contest on the back of a decent showing in The Hundred, where he made 206 runs in eight games for Sunrisers Leeds, including knocks of 55, 49, 46 and 42 not out.
While Test cricket is very different to The Hundred, Brook has shown his ability to shift gears in all formats and will be playing at his home ground of Headingley.
In conditions which suit the number four and with Root potentially weighed down by the captaincy, Brook is well worth taking to be England’s top first-innings runscorer.
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