Pakistan v England, 4th ODI, Dubai[RIGHT]
[/RIGHT]
Resurgent England eye series
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Match facts
November 20, 2015
Start time 1500 local (1100 GMT)
We’re desperate to win the series - ButtlerBig Picture
Such has been the force of England’s comeback after going 1-0 down, they would now be sorely disappointed not to clinch the series. Even allowing for the fact they won the ODIs 4-0 on their last visit to the UAE, victory would count as another significant staging post for Eoin Morgan’s young side on their journey to being considered genuine contenders in the 50-over format.
They overturned a significant disadvantage after losing the toss and being asked to chase in Sharjah, with James Taylor and Jos Buttler showing commendable sangfroid to avert crisis in the middle overs and ultimately steer England to a comfortable win. Taylor is fast building a reputation as one of England’s most accomplished players of spin, while Buttler’s return to form with an unbeaten 49 could have wider significance.
Pakistan’s collapse from 132 for 2 to 161 for 8 raised eyebrows and tempers - though why anyone would be surprised by such a performance from one of the game’s flakiest batting line-ups is perhaps the bigger mystery. Back home, some have questioned selection - the continued absence of Ahmed Shehzad particularly - while dissent against the coach, Waqar Younis, has increased, despite Pakistan’s rise to No. 2 in the Test rankings just a fortnight ago.
While there had been signs of an upturn in their one-day form under the captaincy of Azhar Ali, any progress has apparently been checked. The top order remains in a muddle, with Babar Azam’s promotion to opener yet to bear fruit, while the running in Sharjah would have embarrassed the Keystone Kops. It is all the more galling to have stuttered against England, who were antediluvian at the World Cup eight months ago but have located a flux capacitor to arrive with a zap in the present day.
Pakistan can still tie the series but they remain without a win over England in bilateral ODI contests since 2005. Lose in Dubai and it will be three series defeats in a row. The last time that happened, Pakistan were at least consoled by having the World Cup in their possession.
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Jos Buttler found some welcome form in England’s Sharjah victory © Getty ImagesForm guide
**Pakistan: LLWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
**England: WWLLW
Players to watch …
He has overseen three series wins in a row (albeit two of them were against Zimbabwe) and is only just back from injury but Azhar Ali is quickly learning about the pressure of being Pakistan captain. Having taken over from Misbah-ul-Haq after the World Cup, Azhar resumed his ODI career after a two-year gap with two hundreds and three 70-plus scores in eight innings; that form has tailed off, however, and he has managed just 66 runs in three games against England, at an antique strike rate of 60.55. Needs a score almost as much as victory.
James Taylor might finally have made himself an automatic selection, more than four years after his ODI debut. He impressed after getting an opportunity at No. 3 in Sri Lanka 12 months ago, before being dropped down the order at the World Cup and then dropped from England’s new-look side altogether (despite captaining the team against Ireland). Another chance came when Joe Root was rested against Australia - as did a maiden hundred - and his Man of the Match display in Sharjah ought to secure him a berth in the middle order for some time.
Team news
Will Shehzad finally get his chance? Haroon Rasheed, the chief selector, has said that his exclusion is not on disciplinary grounds and his proven quality at opener has been lacking. Mohammad Rizwan’s self-inflicted run-out was the dopiest of the lot and he could make way for Azam to return to No. 6, where he scored an unbeaten 62 in the first match. Doubts remain over Yasir Shah’s fitness but Zafar Gohar did provide something for Pakistan to be encouraged about with his debut performance.
Pakistan (probable) 1 Azhar Ali (capt), 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Iftikhar Ahmed, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Anwar Ali, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Yasir Shah/Zafar Gohar, 11 Mohammad Irfan.
England have stuck with the same XI in all three games so far and seem likely to continue with that approach as they look to seal the series.
England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 James Taylor, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 David Willey, 11 Reece Topley.
Pitch and conditions
The teams have moved to Dubai for the final match, where the Test surface was more receptive to pace. The last three ODIs between Full Members there have seen the chasing team win, suggesting that batting under lights won’t be such an issue.
Stats and trivia
[LIST=|INDENT=4]
[li]Eoin Morgan needs 47 runs to become the sixth England player - and first captain - to score 1000 ODI runs in a calendar year.[/li][li]England won both of their previous ODIs in Dubai, beating Pakistan by nine wickets and four wickets in 2012.[/li][li]Sarfraz Ahmed needs 18 runs for 1000 in one-day internationals.[/li][/LIST]
Quotes
“Yes we have been making mistakes so we have to overcome that. England is playing well and we did not play to our potential, that’s why we lost but we have confidence that we can play well and win.”
***Azhar Ali believes his side have the ability to level the series
“It was a magnificent win, we look to the next game to go on and win the series, we’ve earned the right to do that so hopefully we can produce another performance like that.”
Eoin Morgan wants England to maintain their level after back-to-back wins
Alan Gardner is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @alanroderick
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