The only T20I is done and dusted which saw England maintaining their supremacy at the Cardiff in T20Is as they went past Pakistan by 7 wickets. It is now time for the ODI series to take the center stage and the first of the five ODIs will take place at the iconic Kennington Oval in London.
This is the perfect way for both teams to gel up for the World Cup preparations with the mega event only 23 days away. Pakistan have some happy memories at this venue as the last time they played here they literally thrashed India by 180 runs to claim the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. Returning to the same venue after a span of almost 2 years, Pakistan would love to start their preparations for the World Cup with a win.
The hosts England will be bracing this opportunity for sure and the form they are currently in makes them the favorites for not only this series but also the World Cup. The likes of Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, and Jonny Bairstow will be joining the squad after being rested for the only T20I will make their side stronger.
Both teams are expected to start this series with the World Cup on their minds which means there won’t be any shortage of intensity and determination among the two camps.
Pakistan won: 02
England won: 03
No Result/Tied: 00
The Kennington Oval pitch will offer a lot of assistance to the batsmen as scoring runs here will be easy. A little bit of rain is expected to hinder the game which can also aid the seamers to move the ball around.
Pakistan: LLLLL
England: WLWLW
Pakistan vs England
Venue: Kennington Oval, London
Time: May 05, 05:30 PM
Pakistan squad to face England:
Sarfaraz Ahmed(c), Imam-ul-Haq, Yasir Shah, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Abid Ali, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hafeez, Shaheen Afridi, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Amir
England squad to face Pakistan:
Eoin Morgan(c), Jason Roy, James Vince, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Joe Root, Joe Denly, Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood, David Willey.
Pakistan:
In the recently concluded T20I, Babar Azam scored a magnificent 65 and also scored a ton in the warm-up game against Leicestershire Foxes. All-rounder Imad Wasim did well in the warm-up games with both bat and ball, he scored a ton against Kent Spitfires and scalped 4 wickets in three warm-up games.
Among others, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Afridi and the man who is eyeing a World Cup berth Mohammad Amir will be the reliable bets.
England:
The return of Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes will be the talking point of this match. Among others in the batting facet, Joe Root and skipper Eoin Morgan are safe bets. In the bowling department, the likes of Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett and Jofra Archer will hold the key.