Hello Pakistan, said England cricket team skipper Ben Stokes after landing here to play the first-ever Test match series in 17 years. The three-Test match series will start on December 1 in Rawalpindi.

“In terms of the tour itself, I’m really looking forward to it,” Stokes said was quoted as saying by the International Cricket Council (ICC). “We know what the sub-continent feels about the cricket, it’s a huge part of their life, and we’re looking forward to going out there.”

Stokes, who replaced Joe Root as the team’s captain in the longest format of the game in April, landed in Islamabad along with the English squad on Saturday night. They were given a warm welcome by the local authorities at the airport and hotel.

The cricket boards of both countries shared videos of the team’s arrival in Pakistan.

This three-match Test series will be the first time the two sides have played a red-ball fixture in the country since 2005, according to the ICC.

England have called up leg-spinning allrounder Rehan Ahmed for the squad for the tour of Pakistan after the 18-year-old impressed coaches with his “attitude and genuine potential”.

“We know he’s not the finished article and has raw potential, but Ben (Stokes), myself and the rest of the coaches like how he approaches his game. The experience of being part of the squad in Pakistan will be hugely beneficial for him, and he will add to the make-up of our squad,” England Men’s red-ball Head Coach Brendon McCullum said on his selection earlier this month.

The series is part of the ICC World Test Championship. Each of the nine teams play six series – three at home and three away – in 2021-23 cycle. The upcoming series is Pakistan’s fifth - their last series will be the two Tests against New Zealand in December 2022 and January 2023. These three Tests will be England’s final appearance in the second edition of the World Test Championship.

Babar Azam’s side, which are without their star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, are at sixth place on the World Test Championship standings and they have a chance to improve their rankings in the upcoming home series against England and New Zealand.

Pakistan drew the last home Test series against Sri Lanka.

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Will Jacks, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood, Rehan Ahmed.

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imamul Haq, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Zahid Mehmood.

Tour schedule

• First Test, Rawalpindi, December 1-5
• Second Test, Karachi, December 9-13
• Third Test, Multan, December 17-21