Five challenges Pakistan will face ahead of the England series
The last time Pakistan toured England for a Test series was back in 2016 when they ended with a memorable campaign by drawing 2-2 with the hosts and making a statement of intent to the rest of the cricketing world.
This time around, though, they are up against a strong England unit. Their reserves of Test specialists have depleted over the years, and their recently concluded performance against Ireland shows that there is a slate of concerns for Pakistan going into the series against England.
Let us discuss the five main challenges they will face against Joe Root and his men:
#5 Inexperience of the squad
The squad that Pakistan will take to England this summer is full of young and talented individuals, but those who have barely been tested on foreign soils in the longest format of the game.
Pakistan's major performers in their successful tour against England in 2016 were Misbah Ul Haq, Younus Khan, and Yasir Shah - and none of them is in the squad this time around, with the batsmen already into their retirement and the spin-bowler tending a hip-bone injury.
More than half of the 16 players in the squad have not played more than five Test matches, while Sarfraz Ahmed, their skipper, will be traveling to England as a Test skipper for the first time.
The lack of experience is worrying, to say the least, and coach Mikey Arthur must find a way of gelling his team together before the massive tour.