http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 – 2nd ODI – Match Preview
Rejuvenated by their first success against Pakistan, the English contingent will be eager to assert their dominance in the 2nd ODI, played today, February 15, 2012 at the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Imtiaz-Sheikh-c64290 Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
It was an emphatic outing for the tourists in a format, which has seen them perform poorly over the past year or so. After losing the Test series, many expected the Poms to fall flat against the Men In Green in the 50-over version but http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AN-Cook-c1026 defied all odds to guide his team to a mammoth 130-run victory.
His 137 alone competed with the Pakistani batters, who faltered badly on 130, with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Saeed-Ajmal-c87859 and Afridi – as the duo shared seven scalps among them.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/C-Kieswetter-c1206 to return to his the customary opening berth.
On another positive front was the bowling display of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SCJ-Broad-c2465 to play second fiddle.
It leaves Poms with little to change for the 2nd bout, despite anxiety over their batting lineup. Anderson may make way for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Samit-Patel-c2426.
The frailties of the hosts’ batting order finally came to surface in the first ODI, with their opponents managing to put themselves in pole position after posting a healthy 260. It was the first time during the tour where the bowling department failed to spare their team’s blushes.
Skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972, earlier admitted that his batters will need to show conviction and offer stability, but his notion was put to rest in the early exchanges of their run chase after they lost half their side inside the first fifteen overs.
Despite a stretched line up, which sees Afridi coming in at 8, the result was hardly in any doubt following the initial hiccups.
The fact however, remains that it was the team’s first loss of the series so the management might be inclined to name an unchanged lineup. There could be forced reinforcements after http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Umar-Akmal-c94595 suffered a back strain during the game.
If deemed unfit, his place is likely to be taken by younger brother and wicket-keeper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shoaib-Malik-c90088’s inclusion in the side currently continues to be a liability as the former skipper is yet to find any sort of momentum.
The pitch will again offer the usual blend - assistance to the new ball bowlers, while becoming easier to bat on as the game progresses. Winning the toss will be key as both captains will be keen to bat first on the surface which is expected to tire through the day
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