England and Pakistan will lock horns in the first One-Day International (ODI) in the five-match series in London on Wednesday. The game will officially kick start both teams' preparations for the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup. In the previous five meetings between both teams, it is advantage England as they've won thrice, however, the Men in Green emerged victorious in both of the last two matches.
Kennington Oval in London will be used as the venue for the contest, which will be hosting its 68th ODI. Highest team score at the venue of 398-5 in a 50-over contest was registered by New Zealand in the match against England in 2015, whereas lowest team score of 103 was registered by the home side in the match against South Africa in 1999. Highest individual score of 176 not out was registered by West Indies' Evin Lewis in 2017, whereas best bowling figures of 6-42 was registered by Pakistan's Umar Gul in 2010.
The home side will come in the match high on confidence after defeating Sarfraz Ahmed-led unit in the only T20I on Sunday with a considerably inexperienced and weakened team. However, for the series starting from Wednesday, England will field their strongest possible playing eleven to finalise their strategies for the mega event. In the batting department, the hosts will be relying on the likes of captain Eoin Morgan, veteran right-hander Joe Root, explosive openers Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler to score
England and Pakistan will lock horns in the first One-Day International (ODI) in the five-match series in London on Wednesday. The game will officially kick start both teams' preparations for the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup. In the previous five meetings between both teams, it is advantage England as they've won thrice, however, the Men in Green emerged victorious in both of the last two matches.
Kennington Oval in London will be used as the venue for the contest, which will be hosting its 68th ODI. Highest team score at the venue of 398-5 in a 50-over contest was registered by New Zealand in the match against England in 2015, whereas lowest team score of 103 was registered by the home side in the match against South Africa in 1999. Highest individual score of 176 not out was registered by West Indies' Evin Lewis in 2017, whereas best bowling figures of 6-42 was registered by Pakistan's Umar Gul in 2010.
The home side will come in the match high on confidence after defeating Sarfraz Ahmed-led unit in the only T20I on Sunday with a considerably inexperienced and weakened team. However, for the series starting from Wednesday, England will field their strongest possible playing eleven to finalise their strategies for the mega event. In the batting department, the hosts will be relying on the likes of captain Eoin Morgan, veteran right-hander Joe Root, explosive openers Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes to produce timely breakthroughs.
On the other hand, Pakistan will enter the match low on confidence after suffering a heavy seven-wicket defeat in the T20 International at the weekend. In the batting department, the team will be heavily relying on the likes of openers Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul Haq, in-form Babar Azam, Haris Sohail and captain Sarfraz Ahmed to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Amir and left-arm spinner Imad Wasim to produce timely breakthroughs.
Player Recommendations:
Batsman: Eoin Morgan (9.5 Cr)
First in the list of key players features England's Eoin Morgan. The veteran left-hander is a proven talent in the 50-over format where he has scored 6,813 runs in 218 outings at an impressive average of 38.93, which included 12 centuries and 43 fifties.
Wicket-keeper: Jos Buttler (11 Cr)
Second in the list of key players features England's Jos Buttler. The wicketkeeper-batsman is being termed as one of the best in the game in his role and has already represented his country in 127 ODIs, where he has scored 3,387 runs at an average of 40.80 along with an impressive strike-rate of 118.34, which included seven centuries and 38 fifties.
All-rounder: Ben Stokes (9.5 Cr)
Third in the list of key players features England's Ben Stokes. The 27-year-old is being termed as one of the best in the game and has represented his country in 79 ODIs, where he has scored 2,088 runs at an average of 36.63 and also has 63 wickets to his name.
Bowler: Hasan Ali (8.5 Cr)
Last in the list of key players features Pakistan's Hasan Ali. The right-arm pacer is one of the best fast-bowler in the world in the 50-over format where he has taken 77 wickets in just 44 outings for the Men in Green at an impressive average of 24.18 and strike-rate of 27.5.
Predicted Playing XI:
England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (captain), Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper) , Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid
Pakistan: Imam-Ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain, wicketkeeper), Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Yasir Shah
