| Pakistan vs England 1st Twenty20 Preview [ Umar | | | | his ability to find the boundary will be crucial for an |
| Akmal looks to inspire ] [removed]// [removed] | | | | England side that has a history of choking against |
| [removed] [removed] [removed][removed] | | | | good spin bowlers. His most dominating performances |
| [removed][removed] [removed]// [removed]pakistan | | | | have come while setting a total but England may also |
| vs England 1st Twenty20 Dubai, Preview. Umar | | | | need him to deliver in a run chase if they are to |
| Akmal has the bold approach to perfectly suit the | | | | overcome the World Champions. |
| Twenty20 generation. | | | | Team news |
| | | | Pakistan are a side in turmoil. In addition to the |
| Big Picture | | | | dropping of Kamran Akmal and Intikhab Alam’s |
| While the tentacles of Twenty20 cricket wrap ever | | | | absence on this tour, Shahid Afridi is serving a |
| more firmly around the world game, Pakistan meet | | | | two-match ban for the ‘ball-biting’ incident |
| England in a hastily arranged two-match series that | | | | during the fifth ODI in Perth, which will keep him out |
| will show just where the two sides lie ahead of the | | | | of the first match. With Mohammad Asif still banned |
| World Twenty20 which starts at the end of April in | | | | from entering the UAE, and uncertainty over |
| the Caribbean. | | | | Mohammad Aamer’s recovery from the groin |
| Coming off the back of success in the 50-over series | | | | injury that ruled him out of the last three ODIs and |
| against South Africa, there are flickering signs that | | | | the Twenty20 in Australia, one of either Yasir Arafat, |
| England’s new gung-ho approach to the shorter | | | | Wahab Riaz or Mohammad Talha could play. |
| format can bear fruit. Yet there is a lingering suspicion | | | | Pakistan: (probable) 1 Imran Nazir, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 |
| that, while their batting has depth, it lacks the | | | | Umar Akmal, 4 Shoaib Malik (capt), 5 Khalid Latif |
| match-winning class of someone like Yuvraj Singh in | | | | Shahid Afridi, 6 Fawad Alam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), |
| this format. However, Kevin Pietersen possesses an | | | | 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Yasir Arafat, 10 Umar Gul, 11 |
| ability that can inspire and frustrate in equal measure | | | | Saeed Ajmal |
| and in Eoin Morgan they have one of the brightest | | | | Having watched Joe Denly falter again against the |
| prospects in limited-overs cricket. | | | | Lions, England would have been tempted to test |
| It’s their bowling that looks more vulnerable, | | | | Craig Kieswetter at the top of the order, after he |
| lacking decisive pace for the slower wickets in Dubai. | | | | completed a four-year qualification period on |
| You feel Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom, Tim | | | | Tuesday. Yet it would be too much of a snub to the |
| Bresnan and Luke Wright may lack the variety and | | | | selected squad and captain Paul Collingwood |
| bite to threaten a free-hitting Pakistan team. It’s | | | | confirmed he was backing Denly to come good with |
| the spinners, however, who have proved crucial in | | | | Jonathan Trott in the opening berth. With James |
| Twenty20 cricket and Graeme Swann is one of the | | | | Anderson resting his knee in Lancashire England’s |
| best in the business. | | | | pace bowling will be led by Stuart Broad and Ryan |
| For their part, Pakistan desperately need a positive | | | | Sidebottom but Graeme Swann will remain their |
| result from these games after their drubbing in | | | | linchpin. |
| Australia. With the World Twenty20 just over two | | | | England: (probable) 1 Jonathan Trott, 2 Joe Denly, 3 |
| months away, the repercussions of the disastrous | | | | Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 |
| Australian tour are still being felt. Kamran Akmal, | | | | Luke Wright, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 |
| vice-captain in Australia, has been dropped, and his | | | | Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 Ryan |
| comments to the press ahead of the Hobart Test | | | | Sidebottom. |
| are being investigated by a board evaluation | | | | Pitch and conditions |
| committee. | | | | With both of these games day-night fixtures the |
| They are also currently without a chief selector, Iqbal | | | | players will at least avoid competing in the desert city |
| Qasim having stood down, and travelled to Dubai | | | | at its hottest. Nevertheless we can expect |
| without Coach Intikhab Alam, who has been | | | | shirt-soaking temperatures and a dry surface unlikely |
| summoned instead to answer questions over the | | | | to offer much interest to the fast bowlers. |
| rout in Australia. Their captain, Shahid Afridi, is in the | | | | Stats and Trivia |
| midst of a two-match ban for ball tampering, and | | | | Paul Collingwood has a perfectly inconsistent record |
| significant changes have been made to the squad | | | | as Twenty20 captain, winning eight and losing eight |
| which toured Australia. | | | | from 16 completed matches in charge. |
| Obviously, there is a great deal of work to do if | | | | Pakistan have an unblemished record in Twenty20s |
| Pakistan are to successfully defend their World | | | | at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, having |
| Twenty20 title in the West Indies, and though their | | | | beaten Australia and New Zealand at the venue last |
| form in this format has been good in recent times, | | | | year. Afridi, who will miss the first game against |
| these games provide a vital chance to build stability | | | | England, was Player of the Series against new |
| and find some confidence ahead of the tournament. | | | | Zealand. |
| Much will depend on how quickly the squad can get | | | | England and Pakistan have only played each other |
| past the squabbles which arose in Australia, and gel | | | | twice in Twenty20s, with both games played in |
| as a unit. | | | | England. Pakistan overcame England at Bristol in 2006, |
| Form guide (last 5 T20Is, most recent first) | | | | but England pulled one back in the midst of |
| Pakistan LWWWW | | | | Pakistan’s successful run at the World Twenty20 |
| England LWLWL | | | | last year, racking up an impressive 185 for 5 at The |
| Watch out for | | | | Oval to progress to the Super Eights. |
| Umar Akmal, still not yet 20, is a precocious talent | | | | Quotes |
| whose rapidly-rising stock has already given an | | | | “It’s an opportunity to utilise the time before |
| indication of his importance to the future of | | | | the World Twenty20. We have two matches against |
| Pakistan’s batting. Possessed with aggression, | | | | England and they are a good side. We have in our |
| fearlessness, and good technique, he has constructed | | | | team some youngsters who are very talented and |
| significant innings in all three formats, and it is hard to | | | | they are getting their opportunity. I’m hoping and |
| believe he has only been playing international cricket | | | | I’m sure they will do well.” |
| for less than eight months. Akmal was the leading | | | | Shoaib Malik, Pakistan’s stand-in captain, is hoping |
| run-scorer in the one-day series whitewash in | | | | the new generation of players perform, with their |
| Australia, with 187 runs at 37.40, including two | | | | side desparate for a win after a string of defeats to |
| half-centuries. He was last man out as Pakistan | | | | Australia. |
| choked in the solitary Twenty20 of that series, but | | | | “Pakistan are a very strong Twenty20 side and |
| the last time he played at Dubai’s International | | | | we’re going to have to be right on our game to |
| Cricket Stadium he made a match-winning 56 not out | | | | beat them. It might be a good time to play them, |
| against New Zealand on a difficult pitch. | | | | but you never quite know what you’re going to |
| If England’s new-found flair for limited-over | | | | get on the day so I think we’ve just got to |
| batting could be attributed to a single factor, Eoin | | | | concentrate on our own game and see what we get |
| Morgan is probably it. Known for dexterous flicks and | | | | on the day.” |
| reverse sweeps, it’s his crisp hitting and | | | | England captain Paul Collingwood tries his best to |
| uncluttered approach that has impressed most in his | | | | avoid the ‘mercurial’ cliché. |
| short England career. On the slower pitches in Dubai, | | | | |