Pakistan bat first against Kent in tour opener

CANTERBURY: Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss and elected to bat against Kent in his side's tour opener at Canterbury on Saturday.

This match is Pakistan's first of a tour of Britain and Ireland that features Ireland's inaugural Test and a two-Test series against England.

Pakistan's line-up featured several established internationals in wicket-keeper Sarfraz batsmen Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali and Babar Azam, with left-arm quick Mohammad Amir leading their attack in this four-day fixture.

Overcast skies at the Spitfire St Lawrence ground offered the promise of swing movement for Kent's swing bowlers.

Kent was captained by former England batsman Joe Denly, who played for the Karachi Kings in the recent edition of the Pakistan Super League Twenty20 event.

Kent, however, rested South Africa batsman Heino Kuhn and New Zealand paceman, Matt Henry, ahead of next week's County Championship match away to Glamorgan.

After this match, Pakistan faces Northamptonshire in another four-day fixture before travelling to Malahide, near Dublin, for a one-off Test against Ireland from May 11-15.

Pakistan then plays a two-Test series against England at Lord's (May 24-28) and Headingley (June 1-5).

Teams

Kent

Daniel Bell-Drummond, Sean Dickson, Zak Crawley, Joe Denly (capt), Alex Blake, Will Gidman, Adam Rouse (wkt), Calum Haggett, Harry Podmore, Ivan Thomas, Adam Riley

Pakistan

Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed (capt/wkt), Mohammad Amir, Rahat Ali, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan

Umpires

Jeremy Lloyds, Steve O'Shaughnessy

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