England vs Pakistan 2nd test playing 11, and Southampton weather forecast

Zak Crawley is expected to fill Stokes' spot in the England playing 11. Meanwhile, Pakistan may drop leggie Shadab Khan for pacer Sohail Khan

England will be eyeing a back-to-back series win on its home soil, when the Joe Root-led side will take on Azhar Ali’s Pakistan in the second Test of a three-match series at the Ageas Bowl starting Thursday in Southampton. England cricket team is leading the three-match Test series 1-0 after Buttler-Woakes heroics on Day 5 thriller of Manchester test.
 
Pakistan cricket team, on the other hand, would expect a better batting performance, the sole reason behind the defeat in the first est. After taking a lead of 107 in the first innings, the visitors were bundled out for 169 in the second innings.

Check Pak vs Eng 2nd Test live match and weather updates here
 

England vs Pakistan playing 11 prediction
 
For England, the one concern will be the absence of talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes, who has flown to New Zealand for family reasons. Although, he didn't have the best of games in Manchester, his mere presence lifts the whole squad and that would be surely missed by Joe Root and his troops.
 
"We now have to complete the job without Ben Stokes. He is someone we would miss even if he was unable to bowl or hit a ball. He has such an impact in the changing room beyond what he does in the middle," England pacer Jofra Archer wrote in his column for Daily Mail.

Check Eng vs Pak 2nd Test live telecast and toss timing details here
 
"If you are going into battle, Stokes is the person you want right next to you. He would never run away from a challenge, but family is so important and he has to be in New Zealand right now," he added.
 
Zak Crawley is expected to fill Stokes' spot in the England playing 11. Moreover, the absence of the star all-rounder also means veteran fast-bowler James Anderson might get another crack in the series. Anderson recently had to dismiss retirement rumours following an indifferent outing in the first Test. However, in place of Ben Stokes the selectors has added a pacer Ollie Robinson in England squad for the second test.

England playing 11: Dominic Sibley, Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Joe Root (C), Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler (WK), Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Dom Bess, James Anderson.

 Meanwhile, the tourists might replace leggie Shadab Khan with Sohail Khan in Pakistan playing 11 given the seaming conditions in Southampton. 

Pakistan playing 11: Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali (C), Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Yasir Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Abbas. 

Southampton weather forecast

The Southampton weather is expected to play spoilsport in England vs Pakistan second test as heavy rain is expected in all the five days.
 
Eng vs Pak 2^nd test pitch report
 
The Ageas bowl pitch is expected to favour pace bowlers as it did during West Indies Test series. Moreover, the overcast conditions will also favour the seam bowlers and fans may find bowlers eclipse the batters.
 
England vs Pakistan match prediction
 
The ENG vs PAK second Test may end in a draw as heavy rains are expected throughout the five days. However, a better first innings score by any team would make the test interesting.

 
Here are the squads of both the teams:
 
England: Joe Root (Captain), James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood.
 
Pakistan: Azhar Ali (C), Babar Azam, Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Imam ul haq, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah.