ENG vs PAK | 1st T20I: Pakistan look to reconstruct as auditions for World T20 begin

"I don't know why the team was totally off-colour in this series and lost its momentum but it is a very worrying sign for me as head coach,” said a disappointed Misbah-Ul-Haq in the virtual press conference after Pakistan’s 0-3 thumping defeat in the ODIs against a makeshift England team. 

The touring side looked totally off-colour in all the three ODIs barring some two-three players who shone in isolated performance. The Asian side got bundled out very cheaply in the first two games against a makeshift England side, and once they scored a mammoth total in the final one, they failed to defend it against a wily English batting.

The problem with the Pakistan team on this tour has been that the three departments (bowling, batting and fielding) haven’t complimented each other. 

When the bowlers chipped in with some good spells or created chances to scalp wickets, the fielders dropped catches while the batsmen didn’t put sufficient score on the board. 

On the other side, when the batting attack and especially captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan finally got among some runs in the last game to help their side post a big total, the bowling lineup terribly failed to capitalise on it resulting in a whitewash series loss. 

But as they say, you can still take away some positives from the series and so can Pakistan team management. The first and foremost and probably the most important one is Babar’s form with the bat. 

The right-handed batsman ended his run drought with a fine hundred and went on to score his career best ODI score of 158. Apart from the skipper, wicket-keeper batsman Rizwan who was having a bit of a lean patch on the tour also notched up a fifty in the last match to get back into the groove. 

In the bowling department, Hasan Ali scalped a fifer in the second match and picked up a total of 6 wickets in the series while Haris Rauf ferocious bowling in the last encounter handed him a four-wicket haul which is a good sign for the visitors. 

On the other hand, England who had to change the team for the ODI series at the last moment following a Covid-19 outbreak within the side will see their big guns return for the T20I series. 

The likes of regular white-ball captain Eoin Morgan, Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler are back in the team for the T20Is. Sam Curran is one of the prominent names missing for the series.

While there have been a few changes in the squad from the ODIs, the home side would still be riding high on confidence after the way the Ben Stokes-led team fared against Pakistan in 50-over format. 

While the team made headlines with that emphatic win, two of the players grabbed the limelight and eventually made a place for themselves in the T20Is squad. Fast bowler Saqib Mahmood was on song ODI series and ended it with a total tally of 9 wickets in three games. 

Lewis Gregory who made his ODI debut for England in this series came handy with both bat and ball. While he scored an important 77 in the final match to help his side etch a win, the right-handed player also had 44 to his name that he struck in the second clash. Gregory also bagged four wickets in the series. 

With the experienced lads back in the team, England would be looking to give their fans another moment of joy and delight while Pakistan’s think tank has a lot of work left at their disposal. But they can only move forward from here on and turn things around in the shorter format.

The first T20I of the three-match series takes place in Nottingham on Friday (July 16). 

Match Details

Date – Friday, July 16, 2021

Time – 11:00 PM IST 

Venue – Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Pitch Report

The track at Trent Bridge might have something on offer for the batsmen. The ball would come nicely onto the bat and a high-scoring encounter is expected to take place when the two sides meet in Nottingham. So, if you win the toss, bat first and try to put up a big total. 

Team News

England: The experienced and senior members are back in the side and the team would be led by Eoin Morgan. While England have some aggressive batsmen in Dawid Malan, Roy, Morgan himself, Moeen Ali, Bairstow and Buttler, the bowling department too looks a steady one. 

Left-arm pacer David Willer might trouble the batsmen with the movement, Saqib is in some terrific form and can pepper the opposition with some short and quick deliveries. 

Adil Rashid’s leg-spin is another boon for the team and his wrong-un can unsettle any batting order. In all, the return of the mainstays has only strengthened the side and they would look to replicate what the ODI squad did. 

Pakistan: As we talked above, Pakistan has a lot of work to do. The good and positive part is that captain Babar Azam, wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan are back in form while Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi are in decent knick at the moment. 

But Hasan has been rested for the first T20I as a precautionary measure after suffering a strain during the practice session and this has come as a blow to the visiting team. 

Nevertheless, Rauf has the ability to create problems with his quick and short deliveries while Shaheen’s toe-crushing yorkers has fetched him a lot of wickets in quite some time. 

Apart from these three, Pakistan have Shadab Khan in the spin bowling attack who can make life difficult for the batsmen with his spin web, especially with his wrong-un. 

The visitors also have some experienced players in the ranks like Mohammad Hafeez whose inputs would be pretty important in the middle. 

The one major issue that Pakistan might still face especially if they are asked to chase a target is Babar Azam’s scoring rate. The right-handed batsman’s needs to certainly fine-tune this problem as it does create a lot of pressure on other batsmen which results in fall of wickets at regular intervals. 

Well, for now, the Pakistan team can just rely upon the strengths and take the field on Friday. 

Probable XI

England : Jonny Bairstow (wk), Dawid Malan, Jason Roy, Eoin Morgan (c), Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Lewis Gregory, Saqib Mahmood, David Willey, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam (c), Sharjeel Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Azam Khan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Qadir, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi

Fantasy XI

Mohammad Rizwan, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Babar Azam, Azam Khan, Dawid Malan (C), Lewis Gregory, Moeen Ali (VC), Mohammad Hasnain, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid