Pakistan face stern England test

KARACHI:

Pakistan will look to build on their solid performance in the opening match when they take on England in the second show of the ODI tri-series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (today)).

 The match starts at 1pm.

Led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan made a bright start to the series on Sunday, making a strong comeback to beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs.

Chasing a target of 306, Sri Lanka were well-placed at 253-5 at one stage. However, Haris Rauf dismissed Janith Liyanage 96), triggering a collapse as the visitors lost their last five wickets for just 15 runs.

Shaheen led from the front with figures of 3-55, while Haris, Faheem Ashraf and Naseem Shah supported him well, taking two wickets each.

Earlier, Salman Ali Agha struck a superb 107, his fourth ODI century, to help Pakistan post 305 all out.

Pakistan were struggling at 118-4 when Agha and Hasan Nawaz, who scored 37, put together a 97-run partnership for the fifth wicket to boost the total.

After losing their openers cheaply, Babar Azam, who scored 45, and debutant wicket-keeper batsman Saad Baig, who made 39, added 74 runs for the third wicket to steady the innings.

However, the subsequent loss of wickets put the hosts under pressure before Agha produced a special knock to strengthen Pakistan's position.

England will pose a tough challenge for Pakistan. The two sides will meet in an ODI for the first time in almost three years.

Their last ODI encounter took place on November 11, 2023, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, when England secured a 93-run victory.

The two teams have played 92 ODIs against each other, with England winning 57 matches and Pakistan claiming 32 victories. Three matches ended without a result.

England have enjoyed a strong run in recent times, performing well in the subcontinent. They beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in an away series and also recorded 2-1 series victories over India and Sri Lanka at home.

A major boost for England is the return of premier leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who has rejoined the squad after a hand injury ruled him out of their recent 2-1 ODI series victory over Sri Lanka.

Sam Curran has also returned after recovering from a groin injury. However, premier fast bowler Jofra Archer has been rested for the tour, while Jos Buttler has been ruled out because of a hamstring injury sustained against Sri Lanka.

Glamorgan leg-spinner Mason Crane, who is yet to make his ODI debut, has been called up to the squad. He returns to the England setup eight years after his previous international appearance, in the fifth men's Ashes Test in Sydney in 2018. Crane also played two T20 internationals in 2017.

Uncapped Sussex players James Coles and Henry Crocombe, who were both part of England's white-ball squads this summer, have also been included.

“This will be a massive challenge to play against two really good teams in different conditions,” England captain Harry Brook said at a pre-series news conference.

“We want to be a team that adapts to conditions and can find different ways to win, and this series provides a perfect opportunity to try and do that.”

Brook said England had demonstrated their ability to adapt in recent series, winning in Sri Lanka before beating India and Sri Lanka at home.

Shadab Khan and Sufyan Moqim had missed the previous game due to illness and Pakistan may go against England with at least one of these two bowlers.