England vs Pakistan – 1st One-Day International Match Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is England vs Pakistan taking place? Thursday, July 8th, 2021 – 13:00 (UK)
Where is England vs Pakistan taking place? Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
What is the expected weather for England vs Pakistan? 18-21c, dry with sunny intervals and a gentle breeze
What channel is England vs Pakistan on? The match will be televised live on Sky Sports
Where can I stream England vs Pakistan? The match can be streamed live via SkyGo
LAST MEETING
Pakistan beat England by 14 runs
THE TEAM NEWS
ENGLAND
- After three players and four members of coaching staff tested positive for Covid-19 among England’s limited overs squad that beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in the recent three match ODI series, the entire squad has been placed in a mandatory isolation period.
- As a result, an entirely new 18-man squad has been named for this ODI series against Pakistan, with Ben Stokes set to captain the side on his return to the England setup following a finger injury, whilst head coach Chris Silverwood takes charge of the squad after having originally been scheduled to take a break for the series.
- Of the 18-man squad, nine players are uncapped in the 50 over format, with Test batters Zak Crawley and Dan Lawrence hoping to prove themselves on the international stage in white ball cricket, although there is no place in the squad for the big hitting Alex Hales and fellow batters Joe Clarke and Sam Hain, who have all impressed for their counties this summer.
PAKISTAN
- Captain Babar Azam leads his Pakistan side into this series, their first since batting coach Younis Khan parted ways with the squad and their first ODI fixtures since beating South Africa 2-1 in a thrilling series this past April.
- An experienced batting line-up including the likes of Fakhar Zaman, Babar and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan will be looking to capitalise in facing what is expected to be an inexperienced England bowling attack.
- Left arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi has firmly established himself as one of the best bowlers in the world and will likely form a lethal partnership with right arm quick bowler Haris Rauf, whilst Usman Qadir will be hoping to earn a selection based on his leg-spin bowling abilities.
THE PREDICTION
It has been a dramatic couple of days within the England set up due to the Covid-19 outbreak within their limited overs camp, which has left both the ECB and the 18 counties working together to form a replacement squad at desperately short notice, releasing players from their respective County Championship assignments. This leads to a very inexperienced squad shaping up to face Pakistan in this first ODI. However, the presence of star all-rounder Ben Stokes as captain will prove a huge boost to his teammates who are set to take on a strong Pakistan limited overs side. Whilst England’ strength in depth is admirable, with a number of players selected already knocking on the door of the first-choice squad, ultimately the lack of preparation time as a group should cost them here and lead to a Pakistan victory in Cardiff.
