Pakistan vs England – 1st T20I – Match Preview
Following unlikely outcomes in Test and the 50-over formats at UAE, Pakistan and England will lock horns in the first T20, played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, February 23, 2012.
The series has somewhat followed an irregular pattern where the Men In Green swept aside the tourists in the longer version bouts, owing to stellar showings from their spin contingent. However, their transformation in the limited-over game was disappointing
as they failed to inject any superiority over their opponents, who duly obliged by returning the favours with a whitewash, of a fairly comparable scale.
The focus now shifts to T20 Internationals, which holds significance for several reasons. On a combined note, the winner of the upcoming matches will take an overall (merely psychological )series lead by a 2-1 margin, considering that both sides are currently
tied at one a piece after emerging resounding victorious in the earlier battles of Tests and one-dayers.
Also on a collective note, either camp is gearing up for the World Cup T20 which will be staged in Sri Lanka later in the year. The need of the hour makes these games of greater importance with England currently being the reigning World T20 Champions, while
Pakistan has always shown eagerness to do well in mega events.
Now talking about the individual preferences, the Men In Green are on a patchy run at the moment and will need make amends after their recent failures. They need wholesome changes in their batting department, which hardly seem to produce good young talent.
The veterans, Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan will have to move on and the PCB will need to inject fresh blood, which are suitable for this particular format. The only change in the squad comes in the shape of promising left-hander, Awais Zia, who will be
taking Azhar Ali’s position in the side.
Younis will also be going home, leaving the door open for the inclusion of young all-rounder, Hammad Azam, who failed to get a reckoning in the 50-over games.
The pacers were highly ineffective but expect Umar Gul to make a comeback, while Shoaib Malik is likely to retain his place (despite performing appallingly) due to his all-round abilities.
The Poms will have a complete change to their lineup, starting from the leadership berth, which will be passed onto Stuart Broad. The pacer has been exceptional for his side and will be looking to lead a young side to success.
Alex Hales, Jos Butler and Jonny Bairstow will all feature, as they seem eager to impress the management. Butler’s only appearance in the recently concluded limited-overs series lasted just 2 balls, after he fell victim to Saeed Ajmal.
Also the return to form of Kevin Pietersen has given their team a clear advantage, after the flamboyant player scored successive match wining centuries. His presence will likely to suppress the attention given by the media to Alastair Cook – calling the
selectors to include the ODI skipper in the T20 side.
Apart from Broad, the bowling department will be spearheaded by Steven Finn, whose rise has been well documented. Tim Bresnan is expected to be included as the third seamer with Jade Dernbach likely to be benched.
The pitch at Dubai will hardly deviate from its customary nature, so batters should prove their dominancy over the bowlers. The temperatures will be on the lower side, paving way for windy conditions. The toss in the shorter version will hardly matter;
therefore, one anticipates a run fest.