ICC World Cup 2019: Match 6, England vs Pakistan, Preview – Men in Green desperate to not stoop further

Both these sides played a 5-match ODI series leading up to the World Cup where England comfortably won the series 4-0 with one game getting washed out.

Published - 02 Jun 2019, 11:59 IST | Updated - 02 Jun 2019, 11:59 IST

View : 3K

2 Min Read

With their depressing loss to the Windies, Pakistan remained without a win in 12 games, which is the longest in their ODI history. Their unapologetic run is just getting out of hand and is also not helping to win their fans’ trust back. To add insult to injury, they will next be facing hosts England, who have been in very contrasting form off-late.

For England, everything is just falling into place perfectly. They had a tough game against South Africa, although the scorecard might suggest they ran away with the result. They showed great character and ensured their opponents came nowhere close, which makes things very difficult for their other opponents who are watching them play from their hotels.

Both these sides played a 5-match ODI series leading up to the World Cup, where England comfortably won the series 4-0 with one game getting washed out. There were moments where Pakistan’s batting unit almost got them close to the hosts, but they never could. This fixture too could transpire in a similar way.

Playing combinations

England

Eoin Morgan would not want to tinker with how perfect this side is. The batting order will remain very much the same, with Roy and Bairstow opening the innings and the likes of Morgan, Root and Buttler forming the middle order crux. Jofra Archer impressed in his first-ever World Cup game whilst Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett too chipped in with important spells. Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid will be their spinning options with Ben Stokes all-round brilliance adding great balance.

Probable XI

Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (C), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (WK), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid

Pakistan

Asif Ali is expected to make an emotional comeback and might replace Haris Sohail. Whilst Babar Azam has been scoring runs, they need a better effort from the likes of Mohammad Hafeez and Sarfaraz Ahmed. They will go with their three main spearheads in Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali, with two spinning options available in Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan.

Probable XI

Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir

Focus will be on

Jonny Bairstow (England)

Jonny Bairstow got off to the worst possible start in this World Cup and will be eager to make up for it. He was dismissed for a first-ball duck by Imran Tahir, exposing him once to his major weakness, which is spin bowling. Pakistan will launch the spin bowlers straight away just like South Africa did against the English openers. He definitely has the ability and temperament to get over it and get a big score.

Mohammad Amir (Pakistan)

Just when there were so many people doubting his credentials and most importantly his selection, Mohammad Amir chipped in with a brilliant performance in what was a forgettable encounter for Pakistan. The fast bowler is bowling at decent speeds and is hitting the right areas continuously, making him a constant threat for the batsmen. He will face the biggest challenge of this tournament in this game and it’ll be interesting to see how he fares.