England opt to bowl against Pakistan in ODI tri-series

Pakistan retain winning XI after 37-run victory over SL, while England welcome back leg-spinner Adil Rashid

England won the toss and elected to bowl against Pakistan in the second match of the one-day international tri-series at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Pakistan have retained the same playing XI that beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs in their opening match, while England have been boosted by the return of leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who missed the previous series due to fitness issues.

“We will be trying to restrict them and then will try to chase that,” England captain Harry Brook said after winning the toss.

Brook said England were looking forward to the challenge, despite the change in opposition and conditions.

“We have an experienced side, but this is a different series, different occasion and we will be trying to do well,” he said.

Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi said his team would assess the conditions during the opening overs before looking to post a competitive total.

“I hope we will be able to post a good total,” Afridi said.

He added that Pakistan had room for improvement with the bat despite their winning start to the tournament.

“I feel we played like 50 percent in batting. A few batsmen are not in touch, but hope things will go in the right direction,” he said.

Pakistan will be looking to build on their victory over Sri Lanka as they aim to maintain their momentum in the three-team competition..

Pakistan squad: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Saad Baig, Hasan Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Arafat Minhas, Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah

England squad: Ben Duckett, Tom Banton, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jordan Cox (wicket-keeper), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Sonny Baker