Pakistan, England keen to excel in 2nd ODI today

SOUTHAMPTON: After the damp squib at The Oval on Wednesday and a miserably wet ten days in England, it was pleasing to see the Ageas Bowl in Southampton bathed in sunshine as England held a training session the day before the second of five ODI matches against Pakistan.

Although some rain is forecast for gameday, there should be far more play than in the first match of the series which will come as welcome relief to the players in both squads.

With the World Cup a little over two weeks away, and opportunities to impress running out, England and Pakistan will want the remaining four ODIs to pass off without interruption. The likes of Joe Denly and Mohammad Amir, two players uncertain of being included for the World Cup, desperately need some game time to press their case - neither got a chance to bat or bowl in the 19 overs of play possible at The Oval - and others need time to hone their form and fitness.

In what little play was possible in London on Wednesday, Jofra Archer was probably the only player who got out of it what he needed.

He did enough in four overs to more or less guarantee his place in England’s final 15-man squad by bowling seriously quick and finding awkward bounce and movement. Life was extremely uncomfortable for Pakistan’s top order. They say it’s a batsman’s game. Not when Archer is in this form it’s not.

His inclusion in the squad has already improved the quality and cutting edge of England’s seam attack, the weakest area of their 50-over side, by giving them a point of difference and a genuine fast-bowling wicket-taking option. If Mark Wood can recapture the pace he showed in West Indies earlier this year, Eoin Morgan will have two seriously quick weapons at his disposal.

Wood is unlikely to play in the second game of the series as he continues to be managed up to full tilt while Liam Plunkett and Chris Woakes clearly need more overs under their belts after rusty displays at The Oval. With England set on rotating their squad during this series, there will also be opportunities for Tom Curran, David Willey and Chris Jordan at some stage. Competition is no bad thing, particularly at this stage of preparation for the World Cup.

In difficult batting conditions and after being asked to bat first, Pakistan’s batsmen did well enough in the opening match of the series but their performance - ending up 80-2 when the rain came - highlighted one of the flaws which could prove terminal to their World Cup chances.

Possible teams: Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, M Amir, Shaheen Afridi.

England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer.