Olly Stone set for T20I debut in fourth match against Pakistan

So far, he has won three Test caps and four in ODIs, and would be a like-for-like replacement for Mark Wood

Olly Stone looks set to make his T20I debut for England in the fourth game against Pakistan on Sunday night in Karachi. Stone, 28, has won three Test caps and four in ODIs, and is expected complete his set as England look to take a 3-1 lead to Lahore.

He would be England’s third T20I debutant on this tour after Luke Wood and Will Jacks. Jordan Cox and Tom Helm are the other uncapped players in the 20-man squad.

Stone has not played professional cricket since July due to a finger injury but has been bowling with good pace in the nets since arriving in Pakistan. He had also impressed in the T20 Blast this summer, taking 13 wickets in ten appearances.

The skiddy pitches that England have encountered at Karachi’s National Stadium should suit his bowling, as he is also one of the few bowlers to have dismissed Harry Brook on this tour, knocking back his off stump in one of England’s first net sessions.

Stone would be a like-for-like replacement for Mark Wood, who is due to play once in Karachi and twice in Lahore on this tour as England look to manage his return from an elbow injury. Wood admitted to feeling “rank” after taking 3 for 24 in the third T20I on Thursday, his first professional appearance since March.

“Having that long lay-off all summer, last night I felt really tired after four overs,” he said. “It’s probably about peaking in Australia [during the T20 World Cup], and not blowing a gasket now and being niggly or not at my best then.”