Related items

• England 'realistic' about chances in Pakistan, says McCullum

  Brendon McCullum says England are going into their three-match Test series against Pakistan with "realistic" expectations, and anticipates a tough test from their hosts.

  England became the first side to achieve a 3-0 clean sweep in Pakistan during their last tour in 2022.

  And Pakistan have had no success on home soil in the last two years, with a 1-0 defeat by Australia in early 2022 setting off a 10-match winless run, with Bangladesh the latest to triumph against them.

  England are without captain Ben Stokes though, as he was ruled out of the first Test after failing to recover from a hamstring tear in time.

  Despite recent history suggesting England may just have an edge, McCullum is taking nothing for granted.

  "We go in with high hopes," McCullum told BBC Sport. "There will be no excuses whatsoever if we don't get where we need to get.

  "We're also realistic this is going to be a tough series, because Pakistan in their own conditions, as history would suggest, it's a tough ask."

  McCullum also brushed off concerns he was worried about not having James Anderson, who has been acting as their fast-bowling consultant since his retirement, with them for the first day.

  "Jimmy has been a great resource for us, but prior to that, we didn't have a pace-bowling coach as such," he added.

  "In the world we live in, communication is easy. Jimmy is in constant communication with the guys. I don't think it's a big issue."

  For Pakistan, Shan Masood has lost all five Tests since being appointed captain last November, including the 2-0 defeat to Bangladesh in August.

  "There is a lot of hurt within the players," Masood said. "This year, 2024, has not been a good year for Pakistan cricket all over, and we like to see our fans happy.

  "The answer is to be positive. We let the past go. We have tried to maintain consistency in selection. We haven't had any chopping and changing because we have lost a few games.

  "We believe in this set of players and with Jason Gillespie we wanted to create a squad mentality. The players are being backed to turn things around."

  The first Test between England and Pakistan begins on Monday in Multan. 

• Super Arshdeep sets up routine India win over Bangladesh

  Arshdeep Singh's fine performance with the ball paved the way for India's convincing seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Sunday.

  Fast bowler Arshdeep recorded eye-catching figures of 3-14 in Gwalior before India made light work of chasing their 127-run target in the three-match T20I series opener.

  Both Bangladesh openers fell to Arshdeep without reaching double figures as Parvez Hossain Emon was removed for eight and Litton Das on four to leave the hosts struggling at 14-2.

  Last batter Mustafizur Rahman proved to be Arshdeep's last victim to wrap up the underwhelming Bangladesh innings, while spinner Varun Chakravarthy also impressed with 3-31 from his four-over allocation.

  Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav all got starts before falling in India's response, though Nitish Kumar Reddy and Hardik Pandya had little trouble in lifting their side from 80-3 to victory.

  Hardik did most of the damage in that game-clinching partnership, blasting an impressive 16-ball 39 that included five fours and two sixes to see India over the line with 49 deliveries to spare.

  Data Debrief: Arshdeep leads the way

  Arshdeep continues to set the tone for India against batters at the top order, with numerous batters struggling to cope with his dominant left-arm action.

  Sunday marked the 11th time he has taken three or more wickets in this format, the most by any India bowler in T20I history.

• Stokes out of first Pakistan Test through injury

  England captain Ben Stokes is out of their first Test against Pakistan having failed to recover from a hamstring tear in time.

  Stokes suffered the hamstring injury in August playing in The Hundred and has not played since, missing England's three-match series against Sri Lanka last month.

  England said last week that the 33-year-old was "on track" to participate in the tour and trained away from the rest of the team in their first session.

  Stokes confirmed he will miss the first Test, which begins on Monday in Multan, and Ollie Pope will continue to deputise as captain in his absence.

  "I tried my hardest to get myself fit for this game but have taken the call to miss this one because I've not quite managed to get game-ready," Stokes told BBC Sport.

  "There is a lot that has to go into my rehab programme. We got to a certain point, but looking at the picture of what we've got coming up and physically where I'm at, I'm not quite ready to play.

  "It's always frustrating to miss out. I've got some good things to focus on, so even though I'm not playing, I've got a goal in mind."

  The second Test starts on October 15, but the all-rounder admitted he was not sure whether that was a realistic target for his return.

  "I've pushed myself incredibly hard and worked really hard with the medical team to get to where I'm at now. I think I'm further ahead than what we expected," he added.

  "I'll be working just as hard over the next 10 days to try to get myself fit for the second Test."

  In his absence, Durham seamer Brydon Carse will make his England Test debut.

  He has previously played 19 ODIs and four T20s for England and will make his red-ball bow just over a month after completing a three-month ban for historical gambling offences.

  England XI for first Test against Pakistan: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Bryson Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.