England-Pakistan 1st ODI preview: Win needed to boost Pakistani confidence
The Match
This is the first ODI of the five match series between http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 and England at Chester-le-Street. England had won the T20I series 2-0 apart from winning the Tests, 3-1.
In the backdrop of the match-fixing and spot-fixing, it has become increasingly difficult for the Pakistani team to try and get a win under their belt, but they will need to refocus on the game rather than get distracted by something that is not in their hands – the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Scotland-c756 Yard and the ICC probe against their alleged illegal manipulations of the gambling market.
England will obviously want to take advantage of this situation and try to win this last series before they turn their attention towards the all-important Ashes.
The Pitch:
The match will be played at Chester-le-Street, where England has a 3-3 win-loss record out of the eight games that they have played here. Out of the nine games that have had results on this ground, six have been won by the team batting second, and given that it is going to be a day match, it could make sense to bat second after winning the toss.
Pakistan:
Time for the side to step up and get some runs under their belt. Time and again the batsmen have failed to get a move on, and they have had four innings of sub-100 totals on this tour so far. This can hardly inspire confidence amongst the players and captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 will know that the morale of the side is currently at its lowest.
This will mean that the bulk of the responsibility will now be on the captain Afridi, who will look to motivate the side and get them to build the partnerships to bring some cohesion to a side in crisis. Winning the game is probably secondary to the return of the confidence for the Pakistani batsmen, given that the World Cup is also only five months away.
The Playing Eleven:
Hafeez, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Razzaq-c84421, Akhtar, Ajmal, Gul.
Players to watch out for:
Afridi’s batting will need to deliver as much as he expects the others to do so. Umar Akmal could be another one who needs to do justice to his talent and not throw his wicket away in the manner he had done in the previous game.
England:
Andrew Strauss returns to the side to lead the English team, and he will also replace http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Craig-Kieswetter-c51708 at the top of the innings. There is a good chance that Jonathon Trott is given an opportunity given the lack of lower-order batting for the English side. The question, though, is whom will he replace.
James Anderson should come into the team in place of Ryan Sidebottom, who has looked a tad listless in the last two T20Is.
The Playing Eleven:
Strauss, Bopara, Davies, Collingwood, Morgan, Trott, Wright, Swann, Broad, Yardy, Anderson
Players to watch out for:
One gets the sense that the pressure will be on the fringe players like Ravi Bopara to get some runs under their belt, given that he has got this opportunity in the absence of Kevin Pietersen. If he wants to keep his spot permanently, look for him to try ad make a big impact.
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