All posts tagged 'dubai'

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England go into tomorrow’s deciding T20 in Abu Dhabi as definite favourites following a fortnight that has transformed a tour that had teetered on the brink of disaster.
 
Having been whitewashed in the Test series, few were predicting much of a comeback from a young limited overs squad still very much a work in progress over three years away from the next World Cup.
 
But Alastair Cook and now Stuart Broad have led their ODI and T20 charges admirably. Kevin Pietersen's dramatic return to form has been handy, too, as has the continued development of Steven Finn into a high-class international pace demon.
 
Team England's meticulous approach to youth development has also begun to bear fruit as 22-year-old Johnny Bairstow - the city of York's finest export since Dame Judi Dench - blazed his way to an unbeaten 60 in Dubai to set up tomorrow's finale.
 
It was an innings reminiscent of his arresting 41 off 21 balls on debut against India in Cardiff last September and went some way to justifying the faith put in him after his unremarkable Lions tour of the subcontinent. Jos Buttler struggled again against international bowling but his fellow Lions graduate's success should inspire rather than deflate a young batsman with bundles of raw talent.
 
Eoin Morgan's complete lack of form is a more pressing issue. This was billed as a perfect tour for the Irishman's innovative technique on spin-friendly pitches, but he has faltered badly, failing to score higher than 31 in twelve attempts in the Emirates.
 
His performances in the hectic world of T20s shouldn’t diminish his selection chances for March’s two-Test tour of Sri Lanka, but a stage may soon be reached where a break from the international treadmill is seen as the best course of action for a player so demonstrably short on confidence.
 
At the other end of his career, the fulcrum of Pakistan's Test success over the tourists, Misbah-ul-Haq, is now facing serious questions over his captaincy in the limited overs formats. How quickly things change.
 
Awais Zia enjoyed just one scoring shot in the twelve balls he survived at the top of the order on Saturday and has a long way to go to carve out an international career. At 25-years-old it is debatable how much potential is left to flourish into international talent.
 
Quality spinners are in plentiful supply for Pakistan and Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez and the inimitable Shahid Afridi can be ably complemented by Abdur Rehman and Shoaib Malik to both constrict and bowl out the best sides.
 
The pace department is a concern, though. Umar Gul’s recent regression has exposed a lack of depth and, while Junaid Khan could lead the line one day, it is an area in which Pakistan need to improve quickly if they are to prosper on wickets away from Dubai and the subcontinent.
 
Regardless of tomorrow's result, England's one day boys come away from the desert with reputations generally enhanced. Pakistan, quite unexpectedly after the Tests, have much to ponder ahead of September T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.

*Join us from 3.45pm tomorrow for live coverage of the final T20 between Pakistan and England in Abu Dhabi.

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As Kevin Pietersen’s century heralded a notable series win for England last Saturday, thoughts immediately turned to the tourists' selection plans for tomorrow's finale in Dubai.

Andy Flower and Alastair Cook will be desperate to give themselves the best chance of avenging the 3-0 Test series whitewash as thoroughly as possible. ODI series annihilation does not bring complete redemption, but it’s a damn good start and says a lot for the character and drive of ‘Team England’ as they enter a huge year of cricket.

That would mean retaining the side that has performed so admirably for the first three encounters in which England have dominated with bat, ball and embarrassingly so in the field. Pietersen’s first ODI ton in 37 attempts went some way to justifying the selectors’ persistence with him, while Ravi Bopara’s brace of fifties in the first two games also keeps the vultures at bay.

But with England’s next ODI not until they take on the West Indies at Southampton’s Rose Bowl on June 16th, tomorrow represents the last opportunity for four months, T20s aside, to give competitive international experience to the likes of Jos Buttler, Johnny Bairstow and even leg-spinner Danny Briggs.

The England Lions have just a solitary scheduled fixture in that time - against the West Indies in May - which lends weight to the argument for giving youth a chance. Sheer will to win will likely override planning for the future on this occasion, though, and there are strong cases for either approach. But the Test series hurt England badly and they are often inclined stick with the tried and trusted.

Nevertheless, Craig Kieswetter will be nervous for his spot with Buttler and Bairstow both competent and improving ‘keepers as well as fearless, destructive batsmen. Fit-again Tim Bresnan is a consistent asset with the ball and bat, threatening once again Jimmy Anderson’s place in the limited overs side's pace attack.

Pakistan have been completely outplayed over three matches. It will be interesting to see, then, whether captain Misbah-ul-Haq’s disciplined approach will be enough to keep focussed the minds of his doubtlessly deflated side.

They also could make changes with only the clichéd pride left to play for. With Wahab Riaz and Aizaz Cheema both used as the second pace bowler alongside a battalion of spinners in this series, young Junaid Khan can consider himself unfortunate not to have had an opportunity to impress so far.

Likewise, the well-regarded Hammad Azam's top order experience could see him dislodge either the struggling Asad Shafiq or Azhar Ali.

Regardless of any changes on either side, you feel that dealing with the imperious Cook and Steven Finn - not to mention a rejuvenated Kevin Pietersen - could be too much once more for a still unpredictable Pakistan.

*Join us from 10.45am GMT tomorrow for live ball-by-ball coverage of the final ODI between Pakistan and England in Dubai.

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England return to Dubai tomorrow in very different mood to when they left nearly a fortnight ago.

Then, a harrowing Test series whitewash had just been wrapped up by a mightily impressive and disciplined Pakistan, leading many to forecast a similar outcome in the one day series to follow.

Not so. Alastair Cook’s imperious batting and improving captaincy, allied to standout performances from Steven Finn and Ravi Bopara, have taken the tourists to a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.

A win tomorrow would seal it and complete a remarkable turnaround after the disaster that was the Test series, not to mention England’s patchy-at-best recent one day form. It is hard to see the Andy Flower making any alterations for game three and why change a winning formula anyway?

This, of course, leaves the likes of Tim Bresnan, Jos Buttler and Johnny Bairstow frustrated onlookers, particularly now Bopara’s consecutive fifties have secured his place in the middle order for the time being. Looking over their shoulders will be Craig Kieswetter, Kevin Pietersen and even Jimmy Anderson, but change before England’s next ODI series against the West Indies in June is unlikely and probably ill-advised.

Things are not so rosy all of a sudden in the Pakistan garden. With the opposition finally taking the game to their roster of spinners, it has become harder to disguise what is still a far from complete batting line up.

For a side with such an impressive recent record, they are also puzzlingly unsure of their best line up. Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik and Asad Shafiq were replaced by Aizaz Cheema, Abdur Rehman and Azhar Ali after the first game in Abu Dhabi - Pakistan’s first defeat in seven one day outings.

The promising Shafiq is the most likely of the three to return, while young all-rounder Hammad Azam has been touted as a possibility to play in his sixth ODI and left-arm seamer Junaid Khan remains an option should Pakistan stick with two pace bowlers.

A more basic issue that needs to be addressed is in the field. Younis Khan and Umar Gul are partly excused through age and longstanding injury, but the likes of Imran Farhat have a long way to go to meet the basic standard required of an international cricketer.

A tied series is still very much possible, though, with the toss important and England reliant on Captain Cook. We’ll be back with our stellar weekend cast so join us, won’t you?
 

*Join us tomorrow for live ball-by-ball coverage of the third ODI between Pakistan and England on Test Match Sofa from 10.45am GMT.

By Vithushan Ehantharajah (@Vitu_E)

Congratulations to Pakistan for a very well executed series win over England. A lot is made about Pakistan’s new-found unity and fellowship in the absence of disruptive egos, but it’s important we, as cricket fans, pay homage to the abundance of talent in the Islamic state.

It’s not your typical conveyor belt – it’s a rickety old thing that has needed replacing for a while now. People have come in and had a look at it; its jagged cogs still turning – if you can call it turning – as black smoke seeps out from its antiquated engine.

Many have tried reinforcing the sides to stop things falling off. Some, foolishly, have tried to get in and amongst the inner mechanism, thinking they could effectively refurbish it all from the inside out (the severed fingers should have been a warning). Others merely stood by, oiling it every now and again, occasionally glancing at the “Nose applicator” wondering if they should turn it down to 4 inches, just because it was closer than the “common sense” dial.

If this was a real factory it would have been shut down and burnt to the ground years ago – mainly because of all the severed limbs and, you know, production of humans stuff.

Pakistan’s first win in Dubai was a result of their bamboozlement of England, twice, and a patient display with the bat. Their second was evidence of something we haven’t seen of a Pakistan side in a long, long time – grit.

England were ahead on points, winning three of the four rounds. Pakistan batted first and scored under 500 in two innings – England were more than half way there after just one, but at no point during the fourth innings did Pakistan think they couldn’t win. You could see it in Mohammed Hafeez’s eyes as he took the new ball, once he brushed his hair to one side. England’s middle order imploded, but it was Misbah Ul-Haq who applied the pressure in the right places, and at the right time.

Rotating Ajmal, Rehman and the floppy-haired Hafeez is one thing, but his “blanking” of Junaid Khan worked a treat. Khan is a talented bowler and he struggled to find his length in the first innings (his 4.12 was the highest economy rate of the match), but it would have been easy for Misbah to throw him the ball for the sake of it. 

Misbah may not be the most flamboyant of characters, but he is capable of injecting a bit of flamboyancy into his captaincy at the right time. Completely ignoring one of your opening bowlers, when defending 144 – albeit on that Abu Dhabi pitch - is flamboyant. As is using the word flamboyant three times in one paragraph.

Pakistan may choose to recall Cheema in place of Khan, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Mohsin Khan and Misbah decide to let a winning side be.

England are fighting for more than pride as they return to Dubai for the third and final Test. As India have shown, there is a difference between being the best team in the world, and being the number one ranked team in the world. Luckily, it’s only their batting that needs to be addressed – specifically Eoin Morgan.

Sure, Pietersen and Bell look all at sea, while Strauss looks uglier than an out of form Graeme Smith in drag, but Morgan seems to be battling with some serious demons. For England’s best player of spin, it’s harrowing to see him flounder on the back-foot, anchored down by his own self-doubt. The issue for the Irishman is that he’s too unorthodox to recoil and rely on his technique to get him out of trouble, especially when his footwork is so laboured.

While Bopara should (but probably won’t) come in to replace Morgan, the Irishman may be saved from the chop should Bell not recover from a stomach bug. Otherwise, it’s as you were, with the form of the revitalised Monty Panesar now giving England more variety in an ever-impressing bowling unit.

Pakistan want to win 3-0 and cement their place – on Twitter, at least - as the best side in Asia. England want to win a Test away from home to show they’re not India in disguise.

One thing is for sure, there is still a lot to play for in this Third test! Other than the series itself, of course...

*Join us on Test Match Sofa from 5.45am GMT on Friday for live ball-by-ball coverage of the third Test between Pakistan and England in Dubai.