After a professional display by Pakistan in the Test series against England, which they won 2-0, the men in green are eager to come up with a similar performance in the ODI series. The first ODI is set to be played in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Pakistan may be huge favourites in the four-match ODI series, but they cannot afford to take England lightly under the leadership of Eoin Morgan, who could turn up the heat against the men in green.
However, Morgan, who was not a part of the Test squad for England, is aware of the enormous task ahead of him and will ask his players to deliver in the first ODI. They have the ammunitions in their team to defeat Pakistan with batsmen such as Alex Hales and Joe Root amongst others.
In the bowling department, they are going to depend on the services of spinners like Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, who can be more than handy with the ball.
Pakistan captain Azhar Ali has made it clear that they are not going to let the spinners settle in the ODI series and will attack them as they lack experience bowling under such conditions.
"We'll try to dominate with the bat, especially the spinners who haven't bowled much in the subcontinent and UAE conditions. We'll try to capitalise on that and put them under pressure," The Guardian quoted Ali as saying.
Ali should be encouraged by the fact that Younis Khan, who has been one of the key batsmen for Pakistan in different formats, is back into the team and will add the much needed solidity and experience. Khan should be confident ahead of the ODI series as he looked in good touch in the Test series, where he also scored a brilliant century in the second Test match.
"We welcome him (Younis) into the team, and he always helps with his spirit. He's a very fit guy, so we hope he can do well and then can carry on. We hope he plays how he has in the past," said Ali.
"Younus is a legendary player, and his role has always been important for the team – not only in Tests but also in the one-dayers. His commitment level is great."
Apart from Younus, players such as Shoaib Malik, Ali and other batsmen should also deliver the goods in the ODI series.
Both the teams played one warm-up game before the ODI series and emerged triumphant. Pakistan and England defeated Nepal and Hong Kong respectively.
Where to watch live
Pakistan vs England 1st ODI match is scheduled for a 3pm local time (4:30pm IST, 11am GMT, 4pm PKT) start with live coverage in India on Ten Cricket. The live streaming option will be available on Tensports.com.
Cricket fans in Pakistan can watch the Pakistan vs England 1st ODI match live on PTV. Viewers in the UK can enjoy the entire Pakistan vs England ODI match live action on Sky Sports 2/HD, with live streaming on Sky Go.
Viewers in the US can watch Pakistan vs England 1st ODI live on Willow TV and stream the game on Willow TV Online.
