However, the National Stadium in Karachi is currently undergoing major renovation work to prepare it for the ICC Champions Trophy in February 2025, and with Rawalpindi unavailable for the second Test due to a major international conference in neighbouring Islamabad from October 15-16,

England played at both Multan and Rawalpindi on their last Test tour of Pakistan in 2022, when they became the first visiting team to record a 3-0 win in the country. The England squad will leave on 1 October, just two days after the home one-day series against Australia concludes.

Dr Kanbhar had gone into hiding on Tuesday after being accused of insulting Islam’s prophet Muhammad and sharing blasphemous content on social media. He is the second blasphemy suspect in Pakistan to be shot dead in the space of a week.

Police in southern Pakistan shot dead a blasphemy suspect during an alleged shootout with armed men, officials said Thursday, the second such apparent extra-judicial killing in a week, drawing condemnation from human rights groups.

The family of a blasphemy suspect killed in custody in southwestern Pakistan has forgiven the police officer accused of killing him, saying they would not press charges "in the name of God". Abdul Ali,