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England bat first under overcast skies

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Toss England won the toss and chose to bat first v Pakistan
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

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‘England’s depth gives them edge’

England’s quest to complete their set of series wins over all Test nations got off to a promising start ahead of the fourth Investec Test, when Alastair Cook won the toss and chose to bat first against Pakistan at the Kia Oval.

Cook, who resisted the temptation to include an extra spinner in Adil Rashid, named an unchanged side, which means one more chance for James Vince to prove his worth as a Test batsman, after two promising but unfulfilled scores of 39 and 42 in England’s third-Test win at Edgbaston last week.

Pakistan announced two changes to the side who slumped to a 2-1 series deficit last week, with Mohammad Hafeez paying the price for a poor series with the bat and in the field. He was dropped in favour of the 25-year-old Iftikhar Ahmed, who will be making his Test debut in the middle order. Azhar Ali is slated to move up to join Sami Aslam at the top of the order, with Asad Shafiq promoted to No.3.

Rahat Ali, who had impressed in the series to date, has succumbed to a knee problem and makes way for his fellow left-armer, Wahab Riaz.

It was a tough call for Cook at the toss, who was presented with overcast skies and a livid green pitch that must surely have tempted him to unleash his battery of seam bowlers, who are flushed with confidence after their fifth-day success in Birmingham.

However, he decided to trust his instincts where the surface is concerned, having consulted with Surrey’s director of cricket, Alec Stewart, who warned him that appearances could be deceptive.

“There is always that temptation when you see green grass,” he said. “But hopefully it’s going to turn a bit by the fourth innings.”

On Rashid’s non-selection, he added: “It’s tough on Adil, he’s been around the squad a while but when he gets a go he’ll have to make the most of it.”

“We were also planning to bat first,” admitted Misbah. “Overall it’s a good pitch with not that much moisture, and hopefully later on will help our spinners.”

England 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 James Vince, 5 Gary Ballance, 6 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Steven Finn, 11 James Anderson

Pakistan 1 Sami Aslam, 2 Azhar Ali, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Iftikhar Ahmed, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Yasir Shah, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Sohail Khan, 11 Wahab Riaz

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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