12 Jun 2019
The fine-tuning ahead of the Cricket World Cup has begun. This five-match one-day international series has already got off to something of a damp start, with Wednesday clash at The Oval being washed out.
Persistent rain put paid to the action on a frustrating day, after Pakistan managed 80-2 in the 19 overs that were possible.
There were a few things selectors learned, however. For instance, England pace bowler Jofra Archer’s spell with the new ball yielded figures of 4-2-6-1, and served further notice of his World Cup credentials.
Archer bowled with speed (93mph) and accuracy on a consistent basis and no runs came from the bat until his 19th delivery. Left-hander Fakhar Zaman became his first victim, with Joe Root taking a juggling catch at second slip.
Archer’s replacement, Liam Plunkett, looked out of sorts, conceding almost seven runs an over, but he at least had Babar Azam caught behind.
England and Pakistan square off at The Ageas Bowl in Southampton on Saturday, and if Archer continues his white ball form with the red ball, he and James Anderson, backed by Sam Curran and Ben Stokes, would provide a varied pace attack.
The selectors will name their squad in two weeks and Archer will surely be among the party, along with Chris Woakes.
There are few better ODI opening bowlers than Archer’s new-ball partner. Warwickshire’s Woakes has been Mr Reliable for England’s white-ball revolution.
But there are plenty of other places up for grabs. Only the two pacemen are secure.
The World Cup gets underway at The Oval next month with South Africa taking on the hosts.
Pakistan were not complaining about the abandonment of the first game, since they had lost their last six ODIs and they won’t be relishing facing Archer in a hurry.
Pakistan are 4/5 to score under 3.5 total runs in the first over on Saturday and are 9/4 to win the 2nd ODI.
Fakhar Zaman has been one of the most consistent Pakistan batsman. He averages above 50 in ODIs as a strike-rate close to 100, and is 15/4 to be his team’s top run-scorer, yet Archer gave him plenty of trouble before dismissing him.
Babar Azam adds more guile to the Pakistan batting. He is special on his front foot and the series may come down to which of the heavyweights lands the knockout blow. The sparring between Archer and Azam may prove to be one of the highlights of the summer. Azam is 13/5 to be Pakistan’s top batsman in the 2nd ODI.
England are 1/3 to win the clash and they have won 12 of the last 14 ODIs (D1 L1), their only loss coming to Scotland last summer in a one-off game.
There are a few injuries that Morgan has to contend with, as Moeen Ali joined Jason Roy and Mark Wood on the sidelines.
James Vince will get a run in the team having benefitted from the Alex Hales affair, and Joe Denly, who made his first ODI outing for 10 years at Malahide, may also be given a chance to impress in the series.
Pakistan’s form since returning from England with the Champions Trophy last summer has been patchy. After winning their next 15 50-over games in a row, they were held in the United Arab Emirates by New Zealand and lost 3-2 in South Africa. They also struggled in the Asia Cup, where they failed to reach the final.
Openers James Vince and Jonny Bairstow are respectively 10/3 and 4/1 to be England’s top scorers, but Joe Root has always been very reliable in this format and he is 14/5 to top the hosts’ scoring.
Given England’s fearsome pace attack, it may be worth looking to take on Pakistan at Evens to have the highest opening partnership and England are 17/20 favourites in this market.
England are 6/10 to have the highest runs total after 15 overs too, which should interest a few.
Weather permitting,; it should be a great battle, one which is being televised on Sky Sports.
To see all the odds on this clash, click here.
