Emilio Gay is expected to be fully fit for the upcoming Test series after recovering from a shoulder injury that forced him to retire hurt while playing for Durham in the One-Day Cup last week. Gay, who made a half-century on his Test debut against New Zealand in June and another in the second Test at The Oval, will feature in the PCC Select XI squad to face Pakistan.
The PCC Select XI will be led by Sussex’s Tom Haines. The squad also includes Shoaib Bashir, who remains England's top-rated spinner despite limited appearances for Derbyshire, as well as Matt Fisher, who is currently short on match fitness after bowling only ten balls in the Hundred. Other notable inclusions are James Rew, Josh Hull, Noah Thain, and Scotland international Charlie Tear. The team is rounded out by Luc Benkenstein, Caleb Falconer, Manny Lumsden, Nathan Gilchrist, James Sales, and Saif Zaib. The side will be coached by England Under-19s head coach Mike Yardy, as the England Lions head coaching position remains vacant following Andrew Flintoff’s abrupt resignation last Friday.
The selection process for the tour remains complex due to the ongoing Hundred tournament. Several players, including Ben Duckett, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, and Ollie Pope, face a tight turnaround between Sunday night’s final at Lord’s and the start of the first Test at Headingley on Wednesday. England’s selection strategy may also be impacted by Ollie Robinson’s potential absence for paternity leave, while the team looks to rebalance following Ben Stokes' retirement.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has arrived in the UK following their drawn Test series against the West Indies. The team has been training at Beckenham, with captain Shan Masood participating under medical supervision on Monday after previously missing the second Test due to a finger injury.
Gay is expected to be fully fit for the Test series after he retired hurt with a shoulder injury while batting for Durham in the One-Day Cup last week. He made a half-century on Test debut against New Zealand in June and another in the second Test at The Oval, though finished the series with an average of 23.16 from si
Other notable inclusions in the PCC Select XI squad are James Rew, who struggled on Test debut at The Oval in June; Josh Hull, the one-cap Test seamer who has only taken eight wickets for Leicestershire across formats this year; Essex's Noah Thain, the leading run-scorer in the One-Day Cup; and 28-cap Scotland internat
