England v http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 1st ODI Preview: Will Mohammad Irfan's inclusion bring victory to Afridi's team?
The final leg of the forsaken Pakistan tour of England begins on Friday. No one would have imagined the tour to go the way it did. When the Pakistani team landed in England there was not much expected from the young, inexperienced Pakistan side. But the start to the tour was nothing less than fantastic; back to back T20 wins against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 gave their supporters some heart and then a test match win against Australia would have caused further exhilaration. The test series against England started with two one-sided losses in the first two tests, but yet again the unpredictable Pakistan team fought back and won the third test to set up a great finale at Lords. However what transpired at the home of cricket was nothing short of a nightmare; not just for Pakistan team but for sport of cricket in general.
Mired in scandal, the Pakistani team looked completely out of it in the two T20 matches against the hosts. Both of them ended in one sided wins for England. The Pakistani team looked mentally drained out and tired of the drama happening in the background. It looked as if the team was ready to pack their bags and head home.
Now comes the final leg of the tour, and the visitors still have a chance to redeem themselves in a five match ODI series, the first of which begins at Chester-Lee-street on Friday. Following the suspension of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, reinforcements have been called in from the Pakistan-A team that is on tour in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758. Mohammad Irfan, the tall lanky left arm fast bowler and Asad Shafiq, a promising middle order batsmen have been included in the squad.
The Pakistani team would see the ODI series as a chance to finally end the nightmare tour on a high, and a welcome change to bring on-field cricket back in the headlines instead of the unwanted off-field controversies. As far as talent is concerned, there is enough in the tank for the green machine, it’s just a matter of putting it to good use. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 would really have to step up to the plate both as the captain and as a player if Pakistan is to have any chance in the five match series. The likes of Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul would have to lift their game to another level, considering how they performed in the two T20s. Additionally, a decision has to be made on whether to include Mohammad Hafeez or Fawad Alam in the side. Both players are quite similar to each other – Hafeez is flashy but fails against quality opposition, while Fawad Alam seems unable to move beyond the fringes of the first team.
Mohammad Irfan, who is arguably the tallest fast bowler in world cricket, is expected to make his debut, and it may be a good idea to include him as it would mean there would be an element of surprise for England. Moreover, he is also a player in the team who has not been through the mental torture of the last week – on-field or off-field.
Rain is expected to stay away on Friday, but overcast conditions would mean that it would be a bowler friendly track. A low scoring affair is to be expected and clearly it would be vital for both teams to try to win the toss and put the opposition in.
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