 England take on Pakistan in the second ODI of the four-match series at
Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Alastair Cook, the England captain, is often faced with criticism regarding
his own place in the team as well as his team's progress, but he could not have
done more right than he did in the first ODI against Pakistan.
Click for Live Score Card of Pakistan Vs England
Leading his team to a 130-run win, Cook is confident that England can register
further victories in the series. Pakistan, in the meanwhile, are looking to bounce
back in the second ODI to be played on Wednesday.
England's last two overseas series were 6-1 and 5-0 defeats in Australia and India
respectively. In between was another disastrous World Cup.
To come through that and put up and inspiring performance in the first ODI
was rather unexpected. Cook scored a career-best 137, ably supported by Ravi
Bopara. Steven Finn immediately grabbed his first opportunity after being
on the sidelines in the test matches.
Andy Flower will be seeking consistency from the team, and also for an improvement
in their individual games as well. Kevin Pietresen and Jonathan Trott
will be looking to break free and be amongst the runs. Samit Patel is
a seemingly-innocuous but threatening player for the opposition.
Pakistan came crashing down after enjoying the highs of a successful patch,
stretching over six months. A lack of plan was visibly obvious as Misbah ul Haq banked on England's miseries against spin to bring him success. Saeed
Ajmal's five-wicket haul came in a bit late for his liking but the No. 1 ODI
bowler will be a threat no doubt.
Pakistan also need to get their balance right, as they played too many batsmen
who could not do much. Umar Akmal was noticeably in pain while batting, having
kept wickets through the England innings. The second innings could see Adnan
Akmal coming in place of Shoaib Malik or Asad Shafiq.
While Pakistan would still fancy their chances, England will no doubt walk in
hugely confident in the day/night encounter to be played in Abu Dhabi.
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