 The first T20I between England and Pakistan will be played at Cardiff,
but all the eyes will be on the events leading up to the game. In one of the biggest
scandals to have hit the game of cricket, there have been allegations against
some leading cricketers of match-fixing and spot-fixing, and it remains to be
seen how the cricketing fraternity responds to them.
Earlier, there were rumours that the rest of the series between England and
Pakistan was going to be cancelled because of these match fixing allegations.
Fortunately, the series is going on, but there are other rumours that not all
English players are happy with the same. Already the English captain Andrew Strauss has spoken about how they would like to see how the situation arises,
but for now, it looks like the PCB is not going to ban anyone of the cricketers
till proof comes out. And unfortunately, unless someone accepts that he took
money, there cannot be too much proof coming out either.
Click for Live Score Card of England Vs Pakistan
What needs to be seen is whether both the teams can actually prepare themselves
well for the game instead of going into the match under-cooked. The English
selectors, on their part, have done their job of making changes to the ODI squad,
as they have left Kevin Pietersen out of the side apart from dropping Craig
Kieswetter. Pietersen was in a bad touch despite his good performances in the
World T20, and it did look like the axe was coming. Kieswetter, on the other
hand, has been dropped as the wicket-keeper and his place will be taken by Steven
Davies.
For Pakistan, it is a slightly different situation. The buzz is that at least
three of those involved in the spot-fixing allegations will not play in the
game. This will mean that the side will be left with only 12-13 players to choose
from, and if the other four are also dismissed, then Pakistan may need
to call upon the players who had featured in the Tests but are not the part
of the ODIs.
Speaking from a cricketing stand-point, it will be difficult for the fans to
look at the performances of a Kamran Akmal or his brother Umar Akmal
and speak good about them. And god forbid if the Pakistanis drop a catch or
miss a run-out or a stumping chance, things may not look too good for them.
For now, England has much lesser on their minds and will go in as favourites
and this is despite the fact that the Pakistanis play well with their backs
to the wall.
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