England v Pakistan: Pakistan begin their tour of England with a 3 match ODI series starting on 8th July, 2021.
England’s initial squad and few members of the management staff had tested positive for COVID-19. This meant the entire squad initially selected had to isolate. ECB announced a new squad led by Ben Stokes which will have some experienced players like Dawid Malan and James Vince.
Even with a new team England will be a threat in home conditions as the new unit will have a chance to impress before the T20 World Cup. Ben Stokes will be eager to perform and lead his side to a win in the opening game.
Pakistan on the other hand are led by star batsman Babar Azam and this series will be a test of his batting and captaincy credentials. They hold a recent series win over South Africa and with the likes of Fakhar Zaman and Hassan Ali back to their best they will be looking for a rare ODI series win away in England.
Venue
The match will be played at the Sofia Gardens in Cardiff.
Date and Timing
The 1st ODI will be played on Thursday, July 8. The match will begin at 05:30 PM IST.
Where to watch
Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN) has secured the rights to telecast the England vs Pakistan ODI series.
England (possible) XI:
1 Phil Salt, 2 James Vince, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Ben Stokes (capt), 5 Ben Duckett (wk), 6 Will Jacks, 7 Lewis Gregory, 8 Craig Overton, David Payne, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Saqib Mahmood, 11 Matt Parkinson.
Pakistan (possible) XI:
1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Babar Azam (capt), 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Shadab Khan. 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Hasan Ali, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Mohammad Hasnain.
TRIVIA:
Babar Azam could become the fastest batsman to reach 4000 runs. Hashim Amla holds the record, reaching the mark in his 81st innings in 2013. Babar currently has 3808 runs from 78.
Ben Stokes will be playing his first home England match for 11 months – he last featured against Pakistan in the first test at Old Trafford in August 2020,
