London, Aug 9 (IANS) England have received a big boost ahead of their test series against Pakistan starting on August 19, as their opener Emilio Gay, who suffered a shoulder injury while playing for Durham against Middlesex on Friday, is expected to be fit for the first test match at Headingley.

Gay made his debut against New Zealand earlier this year and started off his career scoring two half-centuries in the three-match series. Although he missed a hundred and was inconsistent, his partnership with Ben Duckett impressed the team management, who are keen to give him a long rope after removing Zak Crawley from the team due to poor performances.

According to the Daily Mail Sport, a scan on Saturday revealed no serious damage, allowing Gay to resume his opening partnership with Ben Duckett as England’s Test team embark on their latest new era with Pakistan's Test.

The series will also mark Joe Root's first official assignment in his second stint as England's Test captain since stepping down in 2022. The squad selection involved newly appointed head coach Stephen Fleming along with Marcus Trescothick, who will oversee the team as interim head coach for this series before the former assumes full charge.

England have already suffered a blow ahead of the three-match contest as their top-order batter Jacob Bethell has been ruled out due to a knee injury sustained during the recent 2-1 ODI series win against India.

England is coming to the contest after suffering a 2-1 defeat against New Zealand at home, while on the other side Pakistan have arrived after drawing the Test series in the West Indies.

England squad for first two Tests against Pakistan: Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith, and Josh Tongue

--IANS

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