England vs Pakistan, 2nd ODI Preview: Rain gods expected to interrupt again as action now shifts to Southampton

In almost two years, this is the first International game the Rose Bowl will be hosting and once again, some showers are expected to ruin the fun. England have all their players in the XI right now and are looking more treacherous than ever before. They want to send a message to the other sides and stamp their authority, but getting a game seems to be a luxury now.

The only good news is that the weather in Southampton is only partly cloudy. Some of the things that really work in England’s favour is the current form of their World Cup squad members apart from Ben Stokes. Most of them are doing a sensational job wherever they play and it really is getting difficult for Eoin Morgan to pick an XI from that pool of talent.

Pakistan will be benefitting a lot with this series, getting a chance to face the toughest challenge ahead of the biggest tournament in cricket. They need their marquee players to step up against their counterparts to stand any chance of winning this contest or the series.

Playing Combinations

England

Injured Moeen Ali will make way for Joe Denly in the XI, which in a way kills England’s excellent sixth bowling option. Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler will be eager to pick up from where he left in the IPL, while Ben Stokes would be keen to deliver a better performance. Jofra Archer is certainly making a brilliant point and thus qualifying for the World Cup squad with his exceptional bowling. Adil Rashid will be the lone spinner with Moeen’s absence.

Probable XI: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (C), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Joe Denly, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett.

Pakistan

Mohammad Hafeez is unavailable for this game after he reportedly picked up an injury. The fast bowlers’ trio of Mohammed Amir, Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali is something the fans would be banking on to outdo the rampant hosts. Babar Azam got some runs in the warm-up games and will be eager to get going. Asif Ali might earn a place in the XI and if he does, his big hitting will come in handy for the side.

Probable XI: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Sarfaraz Ahmed (C & WK), Asif Ali/Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammed Amir, Shaheen Afridi.

Focus will be on

Jonny Bairstow (England)

Among all their batsmen, Jonny Bairstow has been in the most devastating form possible. He registered his first IPL hundred in just his third game for Sunrisers and amassed 450 runs in the season. Jason Roy and Bairstow form a very effective opening pair as the duo is brilliant at complimenting each other and keeping the scorecard ticking. If these two get going, world records will once again be in danger.

Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan)

One of the few batsmen in the Pakistani top order who is as aggressive as the English openers, Fakhar Zaman lacks consistency big time, but there’s no dearth of ability. He had shown that in the Champions Trophy final, perhaps the biggest performance of his career. This series and the upcoming World Cup will be a high-scoring affair and they will need some wild and big knocks from this man.

Head to Head

Matches Played – 83 | England won – 49 | Pakistan won – 31 | No Result – 3

Stat Attack

58 – Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed will be completing 2,000 runs in ODIs with another 58 runs to his account.

Broadcast Details

TV – Sony Six and Sony Six HD

Live Streaming – Sony LIV

Match Timings – 15:30 IST; 11:00 local

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