Cricket Update: Pakistan face England at Lord’s today with winning hopes
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 cricket team, just after three weeks, will step in on Lords once again today to face Andrew Strauss’s men in the 4th of five-match one-day series. Just three weeks ago, the visitors faced the worst turmoil of their history on the same
historical venue of Lords’, when three no balls of the match, bowled by Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, during the final test of 4-match series staged at The Lords’ welcomed allegations of deliberation.
A match, played at the home of cricket in the final week of last month, entertained the crowd with a brilliant pace display from teenager Mohammad Amir and an equally stunning fight back from Jonathan Trott and the lower-order Stuart Broad. Nobody knew that
the exciting match had got worst memories, in the history of world cricket, waiting for it. The fourth day of the Test brought a blow for not only the in-progress Test and Pakistan team but also for the international cricket when a British tabloid, The News
of the World, in its issue of 29th August claimed that Pakistani bowlers, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, were paid £150,000 by an alleged bookie http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mazhar-c75448 Majeed. The allegations led to the suspension of three Pakistani cricketers including Amir,
Asif and the Test captain Salman Butt.
The tour continued despite the spot-fixing mess and suspension of three key players of Pakistan. Even a cakewalk of hosts over the depressed men in green in the opener of one-day series at Chester-le-Street did not affect the turnout. A large number of fans
from both sides attended the matches at Headingley and The Oval. Both the matches are rated as the two most enchanting fixtures this summer, as the hosts went 2-0 up before a match-winning performance from reverse-swinger Umar Gul helped the visitors to keep
five-match ODI series alive with his career-best effort of 6 for 42.
The Oval victory once again got spot-fixing allegations, and this time it was the batting pattern of Pakistan innings that was pre-planned. ICC’s Anticorruption and Security Unit has started investigations about the allegations.
The beleaguered visitors are expected to stick to the victorious squad of The Oval, while substitutions are expected in the England squad. If Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell slot back into the batting line-up, either Ravi Bopara or Luke Wright would have to
sit at the sidelines. Bell is all set to return to his international duties after a successful stint with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Warwickshire-c862 in the Clydesdale Bank 40, the county has won the title this weekend.
A clear sky with a low temperature is expected at Lord’s today. The bowler-friendly pitch has a lot of seam to offer. However, the bowler-friendly pitch was denied by Ian Bell Saturday's Clydesdale Bank 40 Final with a blistering knock of 107 from just 95
deliveries. Umar Gul, who was embraced by The Oval with open arms, is less besotted with Lord's. His two Test and three T20s appearances at the home of cricket have earned him just 12 wickets at 31.08.
With the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Scotland-c756 Yard hovering around the Pakistan cricket off the field, the visitors would step in The Lord’s with their morale boosted by 23 runs victory at Oval. Afridi’s men, starting their last week of three-month long exhaustive plus controversial
tour, would try to finish their trip to England at a winning note to hand their fans some positive hopes for the upcoming world cup. So a victory today would keep their hopes alive and would head to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rose-c86842 Bowl with a new zest; a defeat at Lord’s would mean
a dead rubber at Southampton.
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