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• Pope's exposure to captaincy will help England, says returning Stokes

  Ben Stokes believes Ollie Pope's brief foray into Test captaincy will be beneficial for England in the future ahead of his return to the fold against Pakistan.

  Pope captained England in the absence of Stokes, leading his side to three victories from four matches, which included their 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka last month. 

  The 21-year-old also helped England seal a record-breaking innings and 47-run triumph over Pakistan in the first of their three-match series in Multan. 

  Stokes injured his hamstring while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred in August, but replaces Chris Woakes for the second Test after fully recovering. 

  Matthew Potts comes in for Gus Atkinson, though Stokes is confident that Pope's time being a top-order batter alongside the captaincy will stand him in good stead in the future.

  "Authority, just that word in itself, can come across a bit like a dictator. No one in that dressing room certainly is that," Stokes told Sky Sports.

  "I said it before when asked about this, being stand-in captain is harder than being captain because you know you are only doing it for a certain amount of games, and you are trying to still push forward what the current captain is doing.

  "Popey has been involved under my captaincy from day one, so there was a lot of easy and natural ways to continue doing that, but what he also did was put his own stamp on things which were massively encouraged by myself and Baz [McCullum].

  "For such a young player who has got quite a lot of experience now, having that exposure to being a top-order batter, but also captain will be really, really good for him in the long-term and I think he has done a great job.

  "His winning percentage is better than mine. I think - winning three out of four Tests - he has done a great job and should be very proud of what he has achieved while I have been injured."

  While Stokes allowed Pope to take the reins, he was in and around the camp throughout his recovery, ensuring his influence was still heard in the dressing room. 

  He watched on as Joe Root, who overtook Alastair Cook as England's highest Test run-scorer of all time, and Harry Brook led their revival against Pakistan on day four.

  Root's knock of 262 was his sixth double-century, and in the same innings, shared an England record stand of 454 with Brook - breaking Peter May and Colin Cowdrey's 67-year record of 411 at Edgbaston in 1957.

  Despite watching on the sidelines during the home series against Sri Lanka and the first Test against Pakistan, Stokes is sure the England players are buying into the message he and head coach Brendon McCullum are trying to convey.

  "When you are out in the middle, there are a few things you don't get the chance to see or observe because you are thinking about other things," Stokes said.

  "But when you are actually sitting on the sidelines, you realise how committed everyone out on the field is to the very small things that me and Baz ask of everyone.

  "Running after the ball to the boundary, backing the bowlers up, all the small things that in the bigger picture mean a hell of a lot.

  "When the bowlers are bowling in this heat and see the ball hit through the field and someone sprinting chasing after it to stop a boundary, pulling out a dive.

  "They don't always get there, but it is that sense that we are all in it together which is one of the most notable things for me, especially when you are the person trying to deliver those words."

• Stokes fit to return for second Pakistan Test

  England captain Ben Stokes is fit to play in the second Test against Pakistan and returns alongside pace bowler Matthew Potts.

  Stokes suffered the hamstring injury in August and has missed the last four Test matches, including England's record-breaking win last week as they beat Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs.

  He replaces Chris Woakes in the side for the second Test, with Potts, returning for the first time since the Sri Lanka series in August, replacing Gus Atkinson, who misses out on his first Test since making his debut in July.

  Meanwhile, Pakistan have made radical changes to their own line-up, dropping star batter Babar Azam along with pace bowlers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

  It has also been confirmed that the second Test, beginning on Tuesday, will be played on the same pitch used for the first in Multan.

  England are targeting a victory that would confirm their second consecutive series win in Pakistan, with the hosts looking to end a two-and-a-half-year winless streak at home.

  England XI for the second Test against Pakistan: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir. 

• Stokes looking 'great' as England captain prepares for Pakistan return

  Ben Stokes is expected to come back into England's side for the second Test against Pakistan, with the all-rounder returning to his peak fitness.

  England captain Stokes has been out since the start of August with a hamstring injury but was seen in the nets bowling at full pace ahead of the next Test, which starts on Tuesday in Multan.

  Former team-mate and bowling coach James Anderson says Stokes is firing on all cylinders as he prepares to return.

  "He looks great. He has worked really hard on his fitness and looking as strong as I've ever seen him," Anderson, England's all-time leading wicket-taker, said to BBC Sport on Sunday.

  "He's had a good bowl in the nets and looks good to go."

  Anderson acknowledged that managing Stokes' workload could work favourably for England, who will expect spinners Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashar, as well as part-time option Joe Root, to do most of the bowling.

  "When we're talking about Ben's workloads and his bowling, it might play into our hands with that, with the spinners potentially playing more of a part," Anderson added.

  England did not miss Stokes in the first Test, battling to victory by an innings and 47 runs despite conceding 556 to Pakistan in the first innings last week.

  Joe Root's stunning 262, coupled with Harry Brook's remarkable 317, led the fightback before left-armer Leach took 4-30 from just 6.5 overs in Pakistan's final-innings collapse.

  Questions remain whether the same pitch will be employed in Multan, where cracks were already showing, instead of a new surface.

  "Going off the last game, we did see it go up and down, mainly down, towards the back end," Anderson continued.

  "The cracks started opening up. I'm no groundsman, but I don't think you can make cracks go back together that easily, certainly in three days.

  "You'd expect it to do something off the cracks and with it being dry and hot again, you'd expect the spinners to play more of a part.

  "We don't know what we’re going to get. It could be another pitch, or they have repaired this one really well and it's flat again."