PAK vs ENG | Shaheen not playing obviously good for us but Pakistan have other strengths as well, remarks Ollie Pope

England’s first Test of the series in Pakistan, where they are visiting for the first time since the attack on Sri Lanka's team bus in 2009, will start on December 1 in Rawalpindi. They last toured Pakistan in 2005 and were beaten 2-0 in the three-match series, with one match ending in a draw. Now they are all set to take revenge and will be looking to continue the aggressive approach under the leadership of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.

However, speaking to geo.tv on Monday, England’s middle-order batter Ollie Pope admitted there will be challenges in Pakistan to carry on the red-hot form. The 24-year-old, while mentioning that Shaheen Shah Afridi’s absence will be ‘a good thing’ for their side, remarked how the likes of Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, whom he labelled ‘talented bowlers’, can deliver for their team to keep the English side on the back foot.

“I wouldn't say an edge. Shaheen is obviously an amazing bowler, he's a very special bowler with good pace and good skills,” Pope told geo.tv when asked about whether England will have the upper hand in the series with Shaheen’s absence in his opinion.

“But we know Pakistan has got some other talented bowlers as well, like Haris Rauf and Nasim Shah, and some guys who are new on the block as well and they'll be keen and excited to get going. So, it's obviously a good thing for us that Shaheen is not playing but at the same time they've got other strengths on their side as well.”

Before coming to Pakistan, Pope scored 146 in a practice match against England Lions in Abu Dhabi last week.