England choose to bat in final test v Pakistan

OVAL (92 News) – England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and chose to bat first in the fourth and final test against Pakistan at The Oval on Thursday. The hosts named an unchanged team after winning the third test in Birmingham by 141 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Pakistan brought in batsman Iftikhar Ahmed for Mohammad Hafeez and fast bowler Wahab Riaz for Rahat Ali. Pakistan, known for their inconsistency, find themselves in this position after winning the first Test at Lord’s. Their fast bowlers have gone out of steam as they are not used to bowling for long spells in the sub-continent while their senior batsmen, like Mohammad Hafeez and Younis Khan, have failed in the tour. Misbah-ul-Haq needs to find out a team combination to again beat England and draw the series. England stand a chance of becoming the world's top-ranked Test team if they can secure a series win over Pakistan at the Kia Oval. Alistair Cook's men go into the fourth and final Test against Pakistan in buoyant mood after securing a dramatic victory in the Third test at Edgbaston on Sunday. And if results go their way elsewhere England will procure top spot in the ICC Test rankings with a win - or even a draw - against the tourists. England have named an unchanged team for the match, with off-spinner Moeen Ali retained despite speculation he might've been replaced by Yorkshire spinner Adil Rashid. Teams England - Alastair Cook (captain), Alex Hales, Joe Root, James Vince, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, James Anderson Pakistan - Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Asad Shafiq, Younus Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Iftikhar Ahmed, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Sohail Khan