In a true test of preparations for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup, Pakistan and England face off in the first one-day international of a five-match bilateral series at The Oval on Wednesday.
The last time Pakistan cricket team played an ODI at The Oval was when they outclassed India in the final of Champions Trophy in June 2017, in a remarkable turnaround to be remembered for decades. With memories of that stunning comeback still fresh in their minds, Pakistan would be hoping to bounce back today from the defeat in the lone T20 international against England in Cardiff on Sunday.
A victory in this series would be much needed: Pakistan have lost 12 of their 23 matches in the last year and suffered a 5-0 whitewash by Australia in the UAE in their latest ODI engagement earlier this year, although they were led by Shoaib Malik in that series, who was standing in for regular skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed.
This series would be a true test of the team’s preparations for the World Cup, which begins in England and Wales from May 30, and the Sarfaraz-led Pakistan would be looking to boost their confidence ahead of the mega event.
England, meanwhile, have won six of their last seven ODIs at The Oval.
The match will start at 5pm Pakistan Standard Time.
Squads
England: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Amir, Asif Ali
