Cricket: England v Pakistan T20 from Dubai

After some much-needed time off, England’s next assignment is a trip to Dubai, with the first competitive matches coming next Friday and Saturday with the 2-match T20 series against Pakistan.

Pakistan have won all 3 of the Twenty20 internationals they have played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, their makeshift home in recent troubled times. Their first match there, in May last year, was a 7 wicket battering of a full-strength Australian side who were skittled for a paltry 108 runs, leading to a comfortable chase. New Zealand were the next side to visit Dubai, and they were beaten in both T20 matches in November, one a thrilling 7-run win after defending 153, the other a more comfortable win having posted 161.

The reigning World T20 champions therefore seem to have settled nicely into their new home as security issues still prevent cricket being played on Pakistani soil, and they will certainly provide England with a stern test in this form of the game. In fact, Pakistan are the most successful nation in the history of T20 internationals, their 21 wins from 28 matches putting them on an impressive 77% success rate. Compare this to England’s 9 wins from 23 matches (41%) and you can see just why Paul Collingwood’s men are 3/1 outsiders for the series.

However, things are far from rosy in the Pakistan camp, with T20 skipper Shahid Afridi banned for the first match after bizarrely biting at the ball against Australia, while regular keeper Kamran Akmal has paid the price for a string of shocking dropped catches in the recent Sydney Test by being dropped from the squad. While he has been little short of abysmal with the gloves, Akmal’s destructive capabilities with the bat will be missed. To add to that, Mohammad Asif is not allowed into the UAE following past drug offences, while fellow paceman Mohammad Aamer is rather surprisingly dropped to the reserves.

All of which is England’s favour here, and given the nature of their whitewash in all forms of the game on their recent tour of Australia, it’s not as though Pakistan were in any sort of form even before losing key players. England performed well in limited overs cricket in South Africa and their more aggressive batting policy should continue in this one – England look like a cracking bet to open up with a win at 11/10.

England’s previous T20I series was a 1-1 draw in South Africa back in November, the first match going to England on Duckworth Lewis after a blistering, very un-English assault with the bat. Anyone who saw that one will definitely remember Eoin Morgan coming of age for England with a remarkable 85 not out off 45 balls, and the powerful left-hander can certainly add to his growing reputation against a depleted Pakistani bowling attack – the 13/2 available about him being England’s Top Batsman in the 1st T20 looks like a fantastic punt.

While we’re talking batsmen, England’s attack is unlikely to make Pakistan particularly nervous, and the 241 South Africa made in walking to the second match of the afore-mentioned series said plenty about England’s lack of firepower with the ball as Loots Bosman opened that day and made 94 off 45. Imran Nazir can emulate that here, the opener whose 58 off 38 took the game away from New Zealand at this very ground in November being exactly the sort of player to relish taking on the English attack. Nazir is currently 4/1 to top score for his side, and that looks very solid.

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