Pakistan win toss, bat against England in first ODI

SOUTHAMPTON: Pakistan captain Azhar Ali won the toss and elected to bat against England in the first One-day International here at The Rose Bowl on Wednesday.

England recalled the fit-again Durham duo of all-rounder Ben Stokes and fast bowler Mark Wood.

Stokes´s season has been blighted by knee and calf injuries and he is expected to play in this match just as a batsman only while Wood has not appeared for England since a Test against Pakistan in Dubai in October following a longstanding ankle problem. But he looked sharp while taking four for 25 in Durham´s Twenty20 semi-final win over Yorkshire at Edgbaston on Saturday.

England decided against playing Jonny Bairstow as a batsman only, with regular ODI wicket-keeper Jos Buttler behind the stumps.

Pakistan made one change to the side that thrashed Ireland by 255 runs in a one-day international in Malahide last Thursday, with left-arm quick Wahab Riaz replacing Hasan Ali.

That match saw Pakistan´s Sharjeel Khan score the third fastest 150 in ODI history.

Pakistan opted against recalling leg-spinner Yasir Shah.

This day/night fixture at south coast county Hampshire´s headquarters ground is the first of a five-match series.

Pakistan, now the world´s top-ranked Test side after their recent 2-2 series draw in England, are currently a lowly ninth in the equivalent ODI standings.

Teams
England: Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (captain), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wkt), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Pakistan: Azhar Ali (captain), Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (wkt), Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Umar Gul

Umpires: Simon Fry (AUS), Rob Bailey (ENG), TV umpire: Marais Erasmus (RSA), Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)