Mark Wood replaces injured Livingstone for Multan Test

England were facing a dilemma ahead of the Multan Test, with respect to Ben Foakes and Mark Wood. But it has been confirmed that Mark Wood has got the nod ahead of Foakes, to replace the all-rounder Liam Livingstone, who has been ruled out of the series with an injury. Will Jacks is expected to don his role as a bowling all-rounder yet again. 

Leading to the Multan Test, Stokes was questioned about the inclusion of Wood, and the skipper admitted that having someone like Wood would be a huge point of difference. England’s pace bowling unit in the first Test consisted of James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Ben Stokes, with bowlers of similar ilk. 

"I mean it is definitely an added bonus. It's a lot better having someone bowling 150kph bouncers rather than me, Robbo [Ollie Robinson] and Jimmy [Anderson] at 80mph trying to do it. I think wherever you go in the world, conditions, whatever it is, having someone at Woody's pace is an absolute bonus,” Stokes said ahead of the clash. 

Pakistan have always felt uncomfortable against the pace of Wood, with the speedster making his mark in the seven-match T20I series. With conditions not set to be too different in Multan, Stokes would want to utilize the X-factor of Wood to the fullest. 

“Whether he's bowling short or full, at that pace it's always going to be difficult to face. It's great to have him fit and recovering from his injuries and he's definitely put his name into the hat for selection."