ABU DHABI: Pakistan will take on England in the first One Day of a four-match series being played in Abu Dhabi today.
Pakistan, after winning the preceding three-match Test series 2-0, will be in a tight corner as they seek huge improvement in their one-day rankings, in order to lift themselves for the 2019 World Cup to be held in England.
Pakistan, currently ranked eighth as compared to England’s sixth, will be hoping they do not repeat their below-par performances they gave in 2012 when they were blanked 4-0 in the United Arab Emirates.
Skipper Azhar Ali said the series is important for the future as well as rankings.
“We have won Tests so we want to take that morale into the one-day series which is very important,” said Ali of the preceding Test win. “We need improvement in rankings as well as want to build the team for the future.”
Regarding Younis Khan’s debatable selection, despite his poor form in the one-dayers, Ali said he hopes the senior batsman will come well.
“Younis is a legend so we hope that he contributes and helps us win,” said Ali, made captain after Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi retired following the World Cup.
Ace spinner Saeed Ajmal is also not in the squad after struggling with a new bowling action, which needed remodelling after it was questioned last year.
His place went to leg-spinner Yasir Shah who will hope to carry his Test form, into the one-day series. He took 15 wickets in two matches.
To their credit, England have shown remarkable progress after being the only top side not to reach the 2015 World Cup quarter-finals.
England beat the 2015 World Cup finalists New Zealand 3-2 before going down fighting by the same result against Australia — both at home.
England media reported some players are training under a baseball expert Julian Wood in order to develop more hitting techniques.
England captain Eoin Morgan said his team was progressing well.
“We had two very competitive series (this year) in which we have seen a lot of youngsters produce some unbelievable performances and although this series will be different the platform will hold us in good stead,” said Morgan.
However, Morgan said Pakistan pose tough challenges.
“They are always challenging and a very capable side, they offer a huge amount of skills and different challenge, various amount of spin and obviously these conditions enhance that challenge.”
Both Pakistan and England tuned up for the one-day series with comfortable warm-up wins against Nepal and Hong Kong respectively.
The remaining matches will be held in Abu Dhabi (November 13), Sharjah (November 17) and Dubai (November 20).
TeamsÂ
England: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan, Alex Hales, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, James Taylor, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett.
Pakistan: Azhar Ali (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Bilal Asif, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfraz Ahmed, Amir Yamin, Anwer Ali, Yasir Shah, Zafar Gohar, Rahat Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan.
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