The World Cup finalists have reunited as preparations for the 2024 edition begin.
The World Cup finalists have reunited as preparations for the 2024 edition begin; Jofra Archer, Haris Rauf are returning to the Leeds scene – as long as the weather plays ball.
big picture: The World Cup finalists have reunited as preparations for the 2024 edition begin.
The last time England played Pakistan in this format, around 90,000 people turned up, with a global audience in the millions. It comes down to the 2022 T20 World Cup final at the MCG and, crucially, with Pakistani tears and wild English celebrations.
It won’t be at Headingley on Wednesday, and not just because the weather in Yorkshire could completely put paid to the prospect of the game. A lot happened over the next year and a half, and little of it helped confirm these teams as World Cup champions and runners-up. The pair have won a combined two T20 series out of a possible nine at a record rate since playing at the MCG.
Both were eliminated from the next ODI World Cup at the first hurdle. England’s match-winner has not currently been part of the T20I set-up since that warm Melbourne night, when the Pakistan captain was briefly dropped before inexplicably handing back the crown a few months later.
World Cup finalists have reunited ,Judging teams based on T20 results in bilateral games alone is risky; Even this series, all in all, serves almost entirely as preparation for the T20 World Cup in less than a fortnight. But given their struggles in T20I cricket, both teams will benefit from a series win and are rightly taking the series very seriously.
England did not play T20 all year, although they did play a five-match T20 series in December against the upcoming World Cup co-hosts West Indies. What Jos Buttler’s side will want to avoid is a repeat of their disastrous ODI World Cup with a similar T20 World Cup defence.
World Cup finalists have reunited, England were so keen to assemble their full squad that they risked upsetting the IPL by calling them up on time, and Joff was just in time to arrange Archer’s return to his first Twenty20 game in more than a year. To advance to the World Cup.
Pakistan’s frenzied administrative setup and passionate fanbase mean they never have the luxury of taking international games seriously, but with the World Cup around the corner, bilateral T20 series hardly matter. After all, Pakistan is the only one of the 20 teams who are yet to announce their World Cup squad;
They will wait as long as possible — until after the first game of this series — to make it official, making sure they make the most informed decision.
And that World Cup, ultimately, is where every aspect of this series will lean. That night at the MCG assured both teams that they have what it takes to be at the top of the mountain, and Leeds are nowhere near that peak, which could be a significant step up.
At the top of the discussion.
The World Cup finalists have reunited as preparations for the 2024 edition begin.
A year since his last T20 and four since his last international on English soil. Jofra Archer will undoubtedly be the star attraction at Leeds after captain Jos Buttler confirmed.
After a prolonged injury nightmare, it looks like England have finally managed to get Archer back to full fitness, and with his teammates talking about him, he’s as strong a prospect as ever. Sam Curran noted the value of the “fear factor” that his extra pace brings to the opposition and a cloudy Headingley could be the ideal occasion to take it easy.
Pakistan also have an express pace bowler returning from injury who is expected to start in this game after an extended layoff. Haris Rauf has had a tumultuous past six months, from losing his central contract due to a board dispute to a shoulder injury during the PSL and finally re-instating the aforementioned central contract.
A part of the team that is not fit to play in Ireland. By all accounts, his injury has healed faster than initially expected and is perfect for a pace-off between two of cricket’s most feared bowlers.
Team news:The World Cup finalists have reunited as preparations for the 2024 edition begin.
World Cup finalists have reunited ,England will not be in a hurry if Liam Livingstone recovers from a minor knee problem. Mark Wood has not played since March and will miss the series with a knee injury, which is not believed to be serious. Buttler confirmed wicket keeping.
England: 1 Jos Buttler (captain and wicket), 2 Phil Salt, 3 Will Jack, 4 Jonny Bairstow, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece Topley
Pakistan: 1 Mohammad Rizwan, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Babar Azam (captain), 4 Fakhar Zaman, 5 Azam Khan (wicketkeeper), 6 Iftikhar Ahmed/Shadab Khan, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Shaheen Afridi, 9 Haris Rauf, 10 Mohammad Amir , 11 Naseem Shah.
Pitch and condition: The World Cup finalists have reunited as preparations for the 2024 edition begin.
The biggest question mark is the weather. Tuesday was cloudy in Leeds, and the forecast suggested rain throughout much of Wednesday.