 England take on Pakistan in the first T20I of the series at Dubai. The
two teams will go into the series after sharing the Tests and the ODI series.
The recent trend of whitewashes continued as England swept aside Pakistan
in the ODI series following their own annihilation in the test series. It remains
to be seen who takes the accolades in the Twenty20 format, as the two sides
enter a three-match series starting Thursday.
Traditionally, one would rate Pakistan as more suited to the shorter formats while
England have topped the test rankings. This tour, however, has dispelled any such
stereotypes as England bounced back in style. Therefore, it becomes an arduous
task deciding which team is the favorite going into the T20s.
Click for Live Score Card of Pakistan Vs England
Badly out of sorts, Pakistan will be hoping for some renewed inspiration in
the form of youngsters that have been inducted into the team. Hammad Azam, the
20-year old all-rounder, remained benched in the ODIs but could make his debut
in the coming matches. Awais Zia is another exciting prospect and has flown
in for the T20s only, after impressing in the domestic tournament. Spin will
again be Pakistan's main weapon as English batsmen looking to play big strokes
may face problems. Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi will enter the
field with plenty of fireworks expected off them. Umar is also tipped to take
the wicket-keeping duties.
England will start the series under yet another captain - there policy of separate
captains for each format meaning Stuart Broad takes the reins as Alastair Cook has flown back home. The rest of the squad is the same but the likes
of Jonny Bairstow and Danny Briggs are expected to get more chances than they
did in the ODIs. Craig Kieswetter returns to open the innings while Kevin
Pietersen will look to continue his rich form into the Twenty20 series as
well.
Dubai International Cricket Stadium hosts the first two matches in the three match
series. Pakistan have lost only one match here - two years ago against England
- in a match where Pietersen and Eoin Morgan starred with the bat.
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