Visitors will be hoping to begin their one-day campaign on positive note by beating Ireland at Malahide today
DUBLIN: The colour of their kit has changed but Pakistan would be hoping that their fortunes won’t when they take on unpredictable Ireland in the first of their two One-day Internationals (ODIs) on Thursday (today).
In whites, Pakistan were at the top of their game during the best part of the four-Test series against England, leveling it 2-2 with a convincing ten-wicket triumph in the final Test at The Oval last Sunday.
Just days after basking in glory at The Oval, Pakistan have moved camp to Ireland where they play two ODIs before the tough five-match series against England which gets underway in Southampton next week.
They have said goodbye to the likes of Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan – two of the architects of their Test wins at Lord’s and The Oval – and have welcomed ODI specialists Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul, Imad Wasim and Mohammad Nawaz among others.
On paper, Pakistan look too strong for Ireland who have recently lost one of their key players — Boyd Rankin — because of injury.
But the tourists must be wary of Ireland, who knocked them out of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean with a shock victory.
The conditions at Malahide were overcast on Wednesday with a bit of rain and are expected to remain the same on match day today.
Pakistan’s trump card will be their potent bowling attack with the pace battery spearheaded by Mohammad Amir, strengthened by the return of the seasoned Umar Gul. It remains to be seen whether Pakistan would opt to include Wahab Riaz, who returned to his fiery best at The Oval after less impressive performances in the earlier stages of the four-Test series against England.
Umar Gul is expected to play his first match since getting axed after playing an ODI against Bangladesh in April last year in Dhaka where he finished with unimpressive figures of 0-53.
But a fit-again Gul seems to be in full flow as he bowled with a lot of zip during the nets on Wednesday.
Pakistan should also play Yasir Shah as Ireland have traditionally struggled against quality leg spin. They also have other good spin options in the likes of all-rounders Imad Wasim and Mohammad Nawaz.
Sharjeel Khan is expected to open the innings with Azhar after his prolific run with Pakistan A in England.
Mohammad Hafeez bowled extensively during the nets but will play as a specialist opener as he is yet to clear his bowling action.
Agencies add: Sami Aslam, Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar are the only specialist batsmen who keep their places along with Amir, Wahab and Yasir, but it is the return of Gul which has been the major talking point.
Gul, 32, who played against Ireland in Pakistan’s World Cup defeat back in 2007, has not played 50-over cricket for 16 months but his experience of English conditions has seen him replace the giant Mohammad Irfan.
The only uncapped player in the squad is also a seam bowler, 22-year-old Hasan Ali who impressed in England in the recently completed Pakistan A tour from which slow left arm all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has also been promoted, hoping to add to his two T20 Internationals.
Ireland were dealt a huge blow on Tuesday with the news that former England pace bowler Boyd Rankin has not only been ruled out of the series but the rest of the season, including the ODIs in Benoni at the end of next month against South Africa and Australia.
Rankin suffered a fracture of his left leg, when training for Warwickshire’s ongoing English County Championship game against Surrey, which has ruled him out of action for at least eight weeks.
Ireland have decided not to replace Rankin in their 14-man squad, happy with the return of Craig Young, following elbow surgery and the impressive ODI debut of Durham?s Barry McCarthy in the recent series against Sri Lanka.
Thursday’s game will be the seventh ODI between the teams and the side batting second has never lost.
Pakistan have won four, most recently in the final World Cup group game at Adelaide last year by seven wickets when both Ireland captain William Porterfield and Sarfraz Ahmed scored centuries.
Ireland, famously, knocked Pakistan out of the 2007 World Cup at Sabina Park, Jamaica, winning by three wickets. The teams tied the first game in the last series in Ireland in 2013, the only other time Pakistan have batted first.
Squads:
Pakistan: Azhar Ali (captain), Sharjeel Khan, Sami Aslam, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Nawaz.
Ireland: William Porterfield (captain), John Anderson, Peter Chase, Ed Joyce, Tim Murtagh, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Stuart Poynter (wk), Paul Stirling, Gary Wilson, Craig Young.