Pakistan v England 1st T20I Preview: Hosts look to make a comeback in the shortest format

Pakistan v England 1^st T20I Preview: Hosts look to make a comeback in the shortest format: After a comprehensive victory over the visitors in the Test series, it was quite expected that the home team will bulldoze through the opposition. But some quality batting from the visitors in the ODI series, followed by some typical Pakistani inconsistency, drove England to a memorable 3-1 victory over Pakistan.

Now going into the first T20I of the series at Dubai International Stadium, here is a look at what the teams will look to achieve.

England:

The English team looks pretty similar to the squad which played the ODIs, so one can expect them to stick with the combination which worked for them the best. While Morgan would look to accommodate an extra batsman in the form of a bowling all-rounder Chris Jordan instead of Adil Rashid, the rest of the team is more likely to be the same, at least for the first T20I.

The batsmen are on a roll, and they would be quite satisfied with their performance in the series. Jos Buttler and Alex Hales will remain England’s key players, and much of the big-hitting will be expected from this duo, along with the captain himself of course.

The new-ball bowlers Topley and Willey were impressive in the sluggish UAE pitches, and one can expect them to retain their places. While Woakes was a surprise positive in the ODIs, that only adds to the options the captain has in his hands. With the team looking well oiled, Morgan most likely wouldn’t think of experimenting with the composition too much.

Pakistan:

The experienced Shahid Afridi makes a comeback, and that might be enough to motivate a mis-matched team who were defeated under Azhar Ali. The team doesn’t have any dearth of experience, but their senior players have disappointed quite often. But the very presence of the likes of Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez will give a lot of confidence to the youngsters.

The surprise inclusion of 39-year-old veteran Riftullah Mohammad hogged some limelight, but considering his vast experience, he would be expected to be unfazed with the media attention he’s receiving. His inclusion in the team eventually depends upon what combination Afridi wants to go with.

Umar Akmal makes a return, and that should be a boost to the team’s fragile looking middle order. There is a lot of abundance in the all-round department, with the likes of Hafeez, Malik and Imad Wasim in the team. The pacers were up to their mark in the ODIs, but will be wary of the English batsmen, who went berserk in the final ODI at the same venue.  They have the firepower to overcome the English team, but a collective performance is needed from the team as a whole.

Pitch:

The Dubai pitch was a batting paradise in the last ODI, and quite likely it might remain the same for the T20Is. On an excellent batting pitch, the teams would look to bat first and put pressure on the opposition, as batting under the lights will never be easy. A good 180-ish pitch, but the batsmen need to apply themselves.

Form:

England W W W L

Pakistan L L L W

Probable XI:

Pakistan:

Shahid Afridi (C), Sarfraz Ahmad, Ahmad Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan, Imran Khan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan, Imad Wasim.

England:

Eoin Morgan (C), Moeen Ali , Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid.

The England v Pakistan 1st T20I at Dubai starts 20:00 local | 16:00 GMT | 21:30 IST. Pakistan won the Tests while England grabbed the ODI trophy. Watch the Live Streaming of the T20I series at Cricketgatway.com.