Question:

England vs Pakistan – Durham ODI preview

by  |  earlier

0 LIKES UnLike

England vs http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Durham-c782 ODI preview
Betting scandals and Twitter rants have conspired to consign any actual cricket to a bit-part role over the past couple of weeks, but for what it’s worth England and Pakistan are due to begin their ODI series tomorrow.
The corruption storm that has swirled around the Pakistan team since the News of the World made their spot-fixing allegations at the end of August may no longer be generating wall-to-wall Sky Sports News coverage, but its impact is set to be felt by the side well beyond the end of the current tour.
Getting back on the field has provided no respite for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482’s limited-overs side, which was crushed 2-0 by England in the two Twenty20s played in Cardiff at the beginning of the week. Pakistan’s capitulation for 89 in the second match gave every indication that this is a team at its nadir; lifting his dejected team’s morale for the ODIs may be a task beyond Afridi and coach Waqar Younis.
"At this stage I know our morale is very down. It is down day by day, and game by game. But one victory and it will be very high,” Afridi has told reporters. “I just want one victory. I'm not letting my team down like this, not in the one-dayers."
As the teams move into the 50-over-a-side format, it is almost unthinkable that Pakistan can cobble together a bowling attack with the potency to take 10 England wickets in an innings in the absence of pacemen Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif (who, along with Test skipper Salman Butt, have been charged under the ICC’s Anti Corruption Code and provisionally suspended from cricket).
Without that pair in the two Twenty20s they managed to take a cumulative total of nine wickets (one of them a run-out); where the visitors are going to find the firepower to tie down and dismiss a confident England side in the ODIs will surely be presenting Pakistan with a real head-scratcher as they prepare for the opening match of the series.
Towering fast bowler Mohammad Irfan has been called up to the Pakistan squad for the ODIs, but expecting the uncapped left-armer to fill the void left by Amir and Asif is a big ask.
Butt’s absence has also hit Pakistan’s fragile batting line-up hard, and they will continue to miss the opener during the upcoming five matches, but have called up top-order batsman and sometime gloveman Asad Shafiq in an attempt to bolster their batting.
Andrew Strauss will surely find it tough, though, if he wins the toss to resist the temptation to send Pakistan in, bowl them out, surpass the total and head back to the team hotel for an early night in Durham.
Yet the England captain will be searching for improvement from his own side as he takes back the reins from Paul Collingwood for the ODIs. Eoin Morgan is perhaps the one England batsman who can pad up at Chester-le-Street knowing that he’s in top form, but teammates including Collingwood and Strauss will be looking for runs after failing to set the world on fire against Pakistan this summer.
With fast bowlers Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Steven Finn seemingly guaranteed a place in England’s Ashes squad to head to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ajmal-Shahzad-c42489 all seeking to gain the selectors’ attention and a seat on the plane with strong showings in the ODIs.
So, there are subplots for England heading into this one, but however they unravel it’s hard to see the story ending in any other way than a victory for the home side.

 Tags:

   Report
SIMILAR QUESTIONS
CAN YOU ANSWER?

Question Stats

Latest activity: earlier.
This question has 0 answers.

BECOME A GUIDE

Share your knowledge and help people by answering questions.