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Spin Could Be Pakistan’s Secret Weapon Against England, Says Shakeel Pakistan batter Saud Shakeel believes the conditions in England could bring their spinners into the contest as the Test series against England gets underway in Leeds on Wednesday. Pakistan head into the opening World Test Championship fixture with confidence after an eight-wicket win over the West Indies in Port of Spain and a seven-wicket victory over a Professional County Club Select XI in their final warm-up game. Shakeel was central to the latter result, scoring an unbeaten century, while left-arm spinner Ali Usman claimed five wickets to continue the form he showed against the West Indies. The conditions at Headingley could offer Pakistan's spin attack an increasingly important role, according to Shakeel, particularly after a hot English summer. Saud Shakeel expects dry pitches to bring spin into play Shakeel is unsure exactly what sort of surface Pakistan will encounter when the first Test begins, but believes the conditions could become increasingly favourable to spin as the match progresses. "I think the way the summer is here in England, the pitches might become quite dry and bring spin into it," Shakeel said. The 30-year-old pointed to the recent New Zealand series in England as an indication of what Pakistan's spinners could encounter. "In the (recent) New Zealand series here, in the last Test the ball was spinning plenty," he added. That could give Pakistan another route to apply pressure if the Headingley surface loses some of its early movement for the seamers and begins to dry out. Shakeel returns to a familiar Headingley Although Wednesday's Test will be Shakeel's first appearance for Pakistan in England, the batter already has experience of playing at Headingley. He represented Yorkshire in three County Championship matches during a stint with the club in 2023, giving him some familiarity with the conditions and surroundings ahead of the series opener. His unbeaten century in the warm-up victory over the County Select XI has also provided Pakistan with further encouragement heading into the first Test. Pakistan will not change approach for England England enter the series with a new-look leadership group following Ben Stokes' retirement and Brendon McCullum's departure as coach, with Joe Root taking over as captain. That has inevitably raised questions over whether England will continue with the aggressive approach associated with the previous regime. Shakeel, however, does not believe Pakistan should tailor their own cricket around England's approach. "Every Test is challenging. Test cricket brings a new challenge every day. This is no different, and we're trying to make sure we give the best account of ourselves here," he said. The Pakistan batter also rejected the idea of preparing specifically for England's previous "Bazball" approach. "We're not thinking of the series in terms of Bazball. You should play according to the conditions and requirements," Shakeel said. Fast outfield could encourage attacking cricket While Shakeel expects the pitch to potentially offer more assistance to spin, he also identified another characteristic of Headingley that could influence batting. "On this ground, the outfield is very fast and that might suit attacking shot play," he said. Pakistan, though, will not alter their style simply in response to how England approach the series. "But we're not going to change our playing style just because of how the opposition are playing. We aim to play the way we think is the best way to play," Shakeel added. The first Test at Headingley begins a three-match series, with the second Test scheduled for Lord's from August 27 and the final match at Edgbaston from September 9.