Pakistan are a highly skilled side, not taking them lightly: Ollie Pope

Ollie Pope said that Pakistan are a highly skilled side, naming star players like Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah, who would look to turn the fortunes for the Asian giants. Notably, the side suffered an embarrassing series defeat against Bangladesh, last month.

While, England are set to face Pakistan in a three-match series with the first game beginning on Monday, October 7, at the Multan Cricket Stadium, in Multan. For the unversed, Pope is set to lead the Three Lions in the first Test in the absence of regular skipper Ben Stokes, who is yet to recover fully from a hamstring injury. The right-handed batter recently led England to a 2-1 win in a three-match Test series at home against Sri Lanka. Ahead of the first Test against Pakistan, Ollie Pope asserted that the visitors are not taking Shan Masood and Co. lightly because of their insipid performances in recent times.

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"They have obviously not had a strong run recently but they are a highly skilled side. There are a lot of the same faces in the squad (like in last tour) and like I said, they have not had the easiest of ride recently, but like I said, they have highly skilled players," Pope was quoted as saying by India Today ahead of the first Test match in Multan.

"Guys like Babar, Naseem and Shaheen are very good batters and bowlers and they are going to look to make an impact in this series. They are a team we do not treat lightly at all," he concluded.

Where do England and Pakistan stand on the WTC table?

England were languishing at the bottom half of the World Test Championship (WTC) table before winning five out of their last six Test matches, which helped them climb to No. 4 position. The last time they toured Pakistan for a Test series, they won all three matches that took place. A similar result will help them push for a spot in the top two in the standings.

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Meanwhile, Pakistan have had a forgettable WTC campaign and are currently positioned at No. 8. They are placed only ahead of the West Indies. Masood's men would want to put the debacles behind them and come out all guns blazing against the Brits.