In an article for Yorkshire CCC, Saj looks ahead to Pakistan's ODI series against England including the 5th and final ODI at Headingley, Leeds.

By Saj Sadiq (29th April, 2019)

The summer of cricket for Pakistan in England has begun in earnest with the arrival of the tourists to play a one-match T20I and five-match ODI series against the hosts. Whilst the initial ODI series against England will be of great interest to the followers of cricket on both sides, the ultimate aim for both teams will be to finalise their squads for the upcoming World Cup.

The ODI games between both sides have been termed as warm-ups for the marquee ICC tournament but make no mistake, there will be no let-up in the intensity of the games when the first ODI starts on the 8th of May at The Oval.

On paper, England, currently at the number one position in ICC’s ODI team rankings, appear to be light years ahead of their rivals in terms of firepower and form. The current England ODI squad is a well-oiled unit with very well-defined roles, with a bowling line-up that can blow away most oppositions on any given day, and a batting order that boasts big-hitters all the way down to number 11. To top all that, England will be playing at home and their mastery of local conditions has been a well-documented aspect of their recent successes on home-turf.

Pakistan on the other hand are coming off a disappointing 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Australia in the UAE. The nature of those defeats would have been confidence-sapping to say the least but more importantly have pointed out serious flaws in the make-up of the team combination.

To start with, the inability of Pakistan’s batsmen to maintain high strike rates have rung alarm bells in the minds of Head Coach Mickey Arthur and captain Sarfaraz Ahmed. And when they have managed to create some momentum in their innings, the absence of later-order power-hitters have let them down and overturned any advantage they had gained by that time.

In addition, the recent poor form of their star-bowler, Mohammad Amir has meant that the pressure to take wickets, especially with the new ball has shifted on to the shoulders of the less experienced bowlers and made the Pakistan new-ball bowling attack virtually toothless. To add to Pakistan’s woes in the bowling department, the absence of a real wicket-taking option in the spin department has also hurt their chances in recent times.

Just as in 2017 when Pakistan arrived in England for the start of the Champions Trophy, the chances of victory in the ODI series against the hosts are best described as slim. But, then, the manner in which Sarfaraz Ahmed’s side transformed themselves from shy kittens to roaring tigers in a matter of a few games in 2017 is something that their opponents must be wary of.

Their current ICC ODI team rank of 6th may suggest otherwise but as history has shown, a Pakistan side when cornered into a position of desperation has the ability to stand their ground and take the fight to the opposition. They did that under the guidance of their legendary captain and now Prime Minister Imran Khan in 1992 and walked away as winners of the World Cup, and they did that again with Sarfaraz Ahmed as their leader in 2017 when they lifted the Champions Trophy by defeating an on-paper much stronger Indian side at The Oval. The capacity to confound their critics and produce match-winning performances when least expected is a quality that Pakistan sides of yesterday have shown on a number of occasions and can easily do again during the upcoming ODI series against England, and possibly in the ICC World Cup that follows after that.

The batting may look lacklustre but as Fakhar Zaman showed in the Champions Trophy, can take on the opposition with devastating results if in the mood. If Mohammad Amir puts his mind to it, he could also be the match-winner he so effectively was in that summer of 2017. And then there is the raw talent of the express-fast bowlers Mohammad Hasnain and Shaheen Shah Afridi who could be the surprise packages with their ability to send down 150KpH deliveries and unsettle the best batsmen in the world.

On 19th May, England will meet Pakistan for the 5th and final ODI of the series at Emerald Headingley. Despite what recent records may show, there is a very real chance that the series result could hinge on the outcome of this game. The winner of this series is more than likely to go forward with the confidence of champions into the ICC World Cup. So, the stakes will be high and chances are that those lucky enough to witness this gladiatorial contest at Emerald Headingley will walk away with abiding memories of a nail-biter between two of the most entertaining practitioners in the ODI format.

https://yorkshireccc.com/news/view/7567/sadiq-speaks-pakistan-no-strangers-to-being-written-off

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