England hope to maintain momentum
February 23, 2012 08:18:40 UK
After two emphatic sections to the tour, one positive and the other negative, England now turn to the T20 part of the series against Pakistan.
With their World crown under threat later in the year, this clash with the previous winners will be keenly contested. The sides know one another pretty well after the Test and ODI parts of the tour but new faces and a new format will change the parameters. England are 11/5 to win the series while Pakistan are at 4/11.
Jonny Bairstow will hope to earn the nod for England from captain Stuart Broad and fellow wicketkeeper Jos Buttler and Yorkshire team-mate Tim Bresnan will look to fare better than they did in the final ODI.
Pakistan look set to give an international debut to Awais Zia. The hard-hitting batsman has a strike rate in excess of 140 and can also contribute with his off spin bowling. That combination may see Shoaib Malik eased out of the line-up.
Zia apart, the rest of the team is likely to be the old guard. Shahid Afridi is a major threat in the explosive form of the game but like Paul Collingwood he lost the captaincy after having led his side to the World title.
Collingwood is targeting a return to the side for this September's final, a fact which should keep the England squad on their toes; while Kevin Pietersen could hardly be in better form. The impetus is with Broad's men and the flu bug which has struck the Pakistan squad will not help their cause.
England are 8/11 to win the first match while Pakistan can be backed at 11/10.
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