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“As far as being a fast-bowling coach for a team, this is as good as it gets, working with some great talent”

Umar Farooq19-Mar-2022Bringing in more intensity and aggression, and helping everyone showcasing how good they can be – that’s Pakistan bowling coach Shaun Tait’s mantra for a job that, he says, is “as good as it gets” for someone in his position.”Pakistan is known for some very good things and one of them is producing fast bowlers,” Tait said in a press interaction ahead of the Lahore Test against Australia. “As far as being a fast-bowling coach for a team, this is as good as it gets, working with some great talent. Obviously, they have had quite a bit of experience, but they’re also very young. So just getting to know them the last week or so and finding out how they tick going forward now is going to be exciting and, hopefully, I can help them out there.”I haven’t got a specific task but right now it is to keep the ball rolling from the start. I mean, that’s what you talk about with [batting coach] Matthew Hayden, aggression; that’s part of the way I play cricket, and certainly some stuff I can bring to them as well as their intensity and their aggression, is going to be a big part of fast bowling. It has to be. That’s something I can pass on to the boys as well.”Tait retired as a player in 2017, and after a short stint with Afghanistan, joined the Pakistan team on a year’s contract. He was expected to link up with the team before the start of the three-Test series, but his arrival was delayed because of a death in the family, and he only joined the squad last week in Karachi.Looking at the pool of fast bowlers at his disposal, Tait said, “There’s nothing [shortcomings] and there’s no issue that stands out. It is a very good bowling group and bumping into people since I got the job, chatting to people, whether it’s back in Australia or here in Pakistan, that just talks about how good this bowling is.”I suppose part of my job is going to be to show everybody how good they can actually be. All the talent is there and a lot of these guys have played enough now and are doing well in international cricket, and some guys that sort of just started out their journey. In 12 months’ time, if you guys sit back and see some results and, hopefully, I can be a part of showing you, that how good they can actually become.”Related

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After the Australia series, Pakistan have an away assignment in Sri Lanka, followed by the Asia Cup, then the T20 World Cup in Australia, and are later in the year scheduled to host England and New Zealand.”This 12-month calendar, possibly as busy as it’s ever been,” Tait said. “I think with all three formats being played quite heavily over the next 12 months, it’s a great time to come in. I’ve had a bit of experience, obviously, with all three forms, and then been around enough to know that there are pressures that come with playing international cricket. So, if I can help take the pressure off the fast bowlers by being there for them and helping them through the next 12 months, that’s probably a big part of my job.”Speaking specifically about the Pakistan bowlers’ inability to run through Australia – in Karachi, the visitors declared at nine- and two-down respectively – Tait said, “They didn’t struggle. I don’t think that’s a problem at all. I thought they bowled quite well. Obviously the wickets… it’s been tough going for the fast bowlers. It’s been a real grind for both teams, as we’ve seen from the results.”That sometimes is what happens in Test cricket in tough fast-bowling conditions. We don’t know what the next Test is going to bring, so I’m just working through that with the players and moving forward to the next match.”Also, in the Karachi Test, the Australia quicks bowled better reverse swing as compared to the local boys. “They did reverse the ball. Pakistan did get the ball reversing,” Tait said. “The Australian thing with this [Karachi] Test match, if you watch closely, there wasn’t a cluster of wickets from reverse swing, there was a couple of wickets from reverse swing. But I don’t think anyone sits back after the Test match and goes, well, reverse swing played a huge role, because it just didn’t. It didn’t play a big role at all for either side.”

The pitch in Colombo isn’t expected to allow free-flowing batting

Madushka Balasuriya07-Oct-20252:07

Preview – Should Australia play Megan Schutt?

Big picture: Pakistan 0, Australia 16

Pakistan have never beaten Australia in any format of women’s international cricket. And if that trend continues on Wednesday, their path forward in the ODI World Cup will become very complicated given they have already lost their opening two matches to Bangladesh and India.What might be even more concerning for Pakistan is that in 16 ODIs against Australia, they’ve not even come close to victory, with the narrowest margins of defeat being 37 runs and four wickets, both way back in 2014.Pakistan’s most recent contest against Australia, a three-match rubber in 2023, had these results: eight-wicket defeat, 10-wicket defeat, 101-run defeat. And while they are also yet to beat India (12 tries) or England (15 tries) in women’s ODIs, their 16 defeats to Australia make them, statistically, the toughest opponent.Related

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All this is to say that Pakistan have a considerable mountain ahead of them. As for Australia, their opening game against New Zealand was an ultimately comfortable win, and their second against Sri Lanka was washed out. They are also a team in near-invincible form. In 32 matches since the last World Cup, they’ve won 27 and lost just four. Pakistan in that same period have played 34 ODIs, won 13 and lost 18.So what exactly are the straws Pakistan might look to clutch here? One, Australia haven’t played since October 1 as a result of their washout against Sri Lanka. They are also yet to play at the R Premadasa stadium, where conditions don’t necessarily seem conducive to free-flowing batting. With Pakistan already having experienced these conditions in their defeat to India, there could be an advantage to be exploited.Finally, Pakistan will be hoping the law of averages catches up and gives them the crucial win and points that they need.2:40

Australia exude an attitude of ‘we know how to win this’

Form guide

Australia WWLWW (last five ODIs most recent first)
Pakistan LLWLL

In the spotlight: Sandhu and Mooney

Since the 2022 World Cup, no Pakistani bowler has picked up more wickets than spinner Nashra Sandhu – her 42 strikes in this period coming from 28 matches. But more interestingly her 248.1 overs are the sixth-most bowled by any bowler in the last three and a half years. This serves to highlight just how much Pakistan lean on Sandhu. This year has also been her most impactful one – she’s picked up 17 wickets in 10 games, including a six-wicket haul against South Africa. The only thing is, in her past five matches, she’s gone wicketless three times. Pakistan will need her at her best if they are to upset Australia.You’d be hard pressed to find a team Beth Mooney doesn’t like batting against, but even so, her ODI record against Pakistan is better than most. Across eight innings she’s struck 279 runs at an average of 69.75, an average that has been boosted by the fact that she’s only been dismissed four times. Mooney’s recent form too has been ominous, with a century and two fifties across her last five innings.Megan Schutt has a good record against Pakistan: 10 wickets in nine ODIs•Getty Images

Team news: Will Schutt get a look in?

With a week’s break since their last game, Australia will be itching to get out on the field. Their biggest dilemma is down to healthy competition, as it remains to be seen if Darcie Brown continues to keep Megan Schutt out of the XI.Australia (probable): 1 Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), 2 Phoebe Litchfield, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Beth Mooney, 5 Annabel Sutherland, 6 Ashleigh Gardner, 7 Tahlia McGrath, 8 Sophie Molineux, 9 Alana King, 10 Kim Garth, 11 Darcie BrownOmaima Sohail was replaced at the top of the order by Sadaf Shamas last time out, but with both openers struggling Sohail might find herself back in the side.Pakistan (probable): 1 Muneeba Ali, 2 Sadaf Shamas, 3 Sidra Amin, 4 Aliya Riaz, 5 Natalia Pervaiz, 6 Fatima Sana (capt), 7 Rameen Shamim, 8 Diana Baig, 9 Sidra Nawaz (wk), 10 Nashra Sandhu, 11 Sadia Iqbal

Pitch and conditions: Tricky batting conditions

Rain has been pestering Colombo and its surrounding suburbs over the past week, but Wednesday should arrive with clear, if cloudy, tidings. The pitch at the Khettarama has stayed true to form in the first two games its hosted at this World Cup, making life tricky for batters – expect that to stay the same.

Stats and trivia: Australia’s return to Colombo

• This will be Australia’s first women’s ODI in Colombo since 2016
• Only against Ireland (17-0) do Australia hold a more dominant ODI record than the one they have against Pakistan
• Australia have won their last 10 completed Women’s World Cup matches
• Annabel Sutherland is four away from 50 WODI wickets

Quotes

“We do have an edge but it all depends on what the team does with this advantage. We were unlucky to have our warmup game against Sri Lanka washed out but we’ve also played two games here and know the conditions very well.”

Hridoy, Shamim step up in chase of 155; Nabi’s fighting fifty in vain for Afghanistan

Mohammad Isam14-Jul-2023Bangladesh overcame a scare to beat Afghanistan by two wickets in the first T20I in Sylhet. Down to 64 for 4 in a chase of 155, Bangladesh owed their turnaround to Towhid Hridoy and Shamim Hossain, whose 73-run stand put them in a comfortable position. But with two needed off the last five balls, pacer Karim Janat took a hat-trick to keep Afghanistan in the game with Hridoy stuck at the non-striker’s end. Shoriful Islam, at No.10, then took Bangladesh home with a cracking cut shot for four.Six runs were needed from the final over when Mehidy Hasan Miraz crunched a cover drive off the first delivery, before throwing his wicket away with a pull to midwicket. Taskin Ahmed was caught behind the following ball, and Nasum Ahmed top-edged a catch to deep third as Janat completed the hat-trick. Hridoy was unbeaten on 47 off 32 balls with three fours and two sixes and did not face a ball in that final over.Earlier, Mohammad Nabi’s fifth half-century in T20Is lifted Afghanistan to a modest total from 52 for 4. He made 54 off 40 with six fours and a six. Azmatullah Omarzai struck a 18-ball 33 with four sixes as the pair added 56 for the sixth wicket in 5.1 overs.

Shamim, Hridoy lift Bangladesh

At the start of the 13th over, Bangladesh’s required run rate was 9.5 per over and they had six wickets in hand. Hridoy began the assault by slamming Omarzai’s first ball for four over mid-off. He followed it up with a brutal pull shot for another four. Shamim then struck an awkward-looking pull for another boundary. Three more runs in the last two balls fetched Bangladesh 21 runs in the over, which brought the asking rate down to 7.85.With Shamim on 23, Najibullah Zadran dropped a sitter at deep square leg, which proved to be a game-changing moment. Hridoy and Shamim then scored 16 runs in the next over, bowled by Fazalhaq Farooqi. While Shamim got into an awkward position to play a scoop over fine-leg for four while losing balance, Hridoy pulled away a six in that over to ease tension. Shamim eventually fell for a 25-ball 33 in the 18th over, bowled by Rashid Khan.Fazalhaq Farooqi celebrates a dismissal in his first over•AFP/Getty Images

Afghanistan strike early

Defending 154, Farooqi got the ball going through Rony Talukdar’s bat and pad to rattle his stumps early. Mujeeb Ur Rahman was lucky when his delivery struck Najmul Hossain Shanto’s hip before hitting the stumps. Bangladesh were sluggish in the powerplay, reaching 37 for two. Omarzai had Litton Das caught at mid-off in the seventh over for 18 off 19.Shakib Al Hasan tried to accelerate with some unusual shots – a scoop, a ramp and a lofted straight one off the back foot – but his stay was short-lived. He slapped a ball straight to Janat at deep point to leave Bangladesh at 64 for 4.

Bangladesh start well with the ball, too

After choosing to bowl, Bangladesh’s bowlers responded to their captain’s words on the match eve, about the need to start well. Taskin Ahmed led the charge with ten dot balls in his first three overs in the powerplay.Nasum had Hazratullah Zazai miscuing a whip to Hridoy at square leg in the third over. Rahmanullah Gurbaz swung Taskin to fine leg where Mehidy took a good tumbling catch. Shoriful removed Ibrahim Zadran for the fifth time on this tour, when the young batter was caught behind. When Shakib had Janat caught at mid-off, Afghanistan had lost four of their batters for 52.

Nabi ensures Afghanistan’s great finish

Nabi put on 35 runs for the fifth wicket with Najibullah Zadran, who was sharply caught by Litton in the 14th over. He then shared a crucial stand with Omarzai to give Afghanistan something to defend. Omarzai upper-cut Taskin for his first six, before smashing three fours.Afghanistan took 53 runs in the last four overs with overs 17-19 going for 14 runs each. Shakib removed Omarzai in the 19th over after he struck him for two sixes.Nabi reached his fifty in the last over. His only six came in the 17th over when he deposited Takin over midwicket. His innings ensured Afghanistan got to a competitive total.

Western Australia still need 329 on the final day after Nathan McSweeney’s second-innings hundred

AAP12-Feb-2023South Australia remained well placed for a rare win over Sheffield Shield holders Western Australia despite a half-century from Cameron Bancroft keeping alive the visitors’ hopes of chasing down a massive victory target at Adelaide Oval.WA ended the penultimate day at 2 for 139 in pursuit of an unlikely 468 to win. Bancroft was unbeaten on 79 and Hilton Cartwright was also at the crease on 23, with plenty of batting still to come for WA in the form of Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis.Related

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WA lost opener Sam Whiteman caught behind off Nathan McAndrew for 17, and the important wicket of veteran Shaun Marsh caught at second slip for 16.Bolstered by the returning Stoinis and Marsh, WA started the match as warm favourites having already accrued four wins from six matches.South Australia, in contrast, collected just one win during the first part of the season before the break.Earlier, South Australia made the most of their 276-run first innings lead to pile on quick runs in search of a declaration.Nathan McSweeney made it two centuries in as many matches for the Redbacks, hitting 104 not out with 13 boundaries and a six in his 131-ball stint at the crease.SA resumed at 2 for 31 but McSweeney ensured the home side kept their run-rate high. There were also contributions from Henry Hunt (27), Jake Lehmann (18) and Thomas Kelly (18). Only seamer Matthew Kelly threatened to halt the local sides’ charge, taking 3 for 38.

Australian Craig Howard, meanwhile, takes over as spin-bowling coach

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2022Former New Zealand men’s international Dean Brownlie has been named batting coach of the New Zealand women’s team. Joining him in the White Ferns set-up is spin-bowling coach Craig Howard.Brownie, who retired at the end of the 2019-20 season with a total of 14 Test caps and 21 white-ball caps, was New Zealand men’s interim batting coach in March 2022 when the side played Netherlands at home. More recently, he served as network coach at Northern Districts and also joined the Black Caps coaching staff for the T20 World Cup in Australia.”I’ve been fortunate to experience cricket all around the world in different conditions, and I want to be able to share my knowledge of the game to help take this batting group to the next level,” Brownlie said via an NZC statement. “This batting group has a mix of world-class players and exciting young players coming through as well, so there’s a unique playing dynamic that I hope to add value to.”There’s some really experienced players in this group that know their game really well and will require support when needed, and there’s younger players who are just starting out on their international cricket journey who I can provide a bit more guidance with, so it’s individual with how I will contribute.”Howard, a former first-class cricketer with Victoria, will work closely with spinners Amelia Kerr, Eden Carson and Fran Jonas. He has been involved with the White Ferns on a tour-by-tour basis in the past, and will be with the side for the home series against Bangladesh and then stay on at least until next year’s T20 World Cup in South Africa in February. He has previously been spin consultant with Cricket Australia, South Australia and Adelaide Strikers, where he worked with Nathan Lyon, Georgia Wareham and Sophie Molineux.”With the World Cup around the corner we will mainly continue to work on their strategy and mindset in the different formats and phases – making sure they’re high percentage and giving them the best chance of performing their role which will be to limit the oppositions ability to score and take wickets,” Howard said.New Zealand are set to play Bangladesh at home for three T20Is and three ODIs starting December 2, and then go to the T20 World Cup where their first game is scheduled against Australia on February 11.

Mithali Raj and batting coach Shiv Sunder Das say as much after failed chase against New Zealand; Das also explains thinking behind dropping Shafali Verma

Annesha Ghosh10-Mar-2022India captain Mithali Raj and batting coach Shiv Sunder Das have pointed to a need for better returns from their top order if they are to “go deep” in the 2022 ODI World Cup. Speaking after India’s botched chase against New Zealand in Hamilton, Das said he believes India can achieve this, given their “batting firepower”.”We thought it was chaseable but provided we had the top order going,” Raj said at her post-match interview after India, chasing 261, were bowled out for 198 in the 47th over. “But back-to-back wickets put a lot of pressure because we didn’t have batter who can take it deep.”India’s 62-run defeat was the second time their weaknesses as a batting unit were exposed. In their opening win against Pakistan in Mount Maunganui on Sunday, lower-order cameos from Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar bailed India out. Against a tactically dominant New Zealand, No. 5 Harmanpreet Kaur’s 71 off 63 seemed an exercise in futility as the required run rate swelled to over seven by the 20th-over mark. To make matters worse, the opposition kept chipping away with intermittent strikes.In both matches, India’s powerplay scoring was a concern. They made 33 for 1 against Pakistan and even fewer against New Zealand: 26 for 2, their lowest since 2017 across 17 ODIs where overs were not reduced. “The top order has to fire,” Das said after the match. “We have the batting firepower to go deep in the tournament.”Tweaking the make-up of their top three didn’t significantly improve their overall performance. World Cup debutant Yastika Bhatia came in for the run-parched Shafali Verma but even then India were scratchy up top.”She got a fair chance for the last seven-eight games and we thought we could [give her] a bit of break,” Das said, when asked about Verma’s exclusion. “She is a talented batter and I hope in this break she gets going and hopefully she comes back stronger in the [next] few games.”Harmanpreet Kaur’s big hits from No. 5 were all but futile after the meandering start to the chase•ICC via Getty Images

The inclusion of Bhatia, who hadn’t opened in ODIs before, and a reluctance to promote any right-handers up to partner Mandhana meant India stacked three left-handers in their top order, with Deepti Sharma retaining her No. 3 spot.”Looking at the top order, once we get going in the first 10-15 overs, we can put up a good score on the board,” Das said, when asked about the lack of variety in the top three. “If you see our top order, I think it’s an experienced top order. With Smriti batting in the top order, we thought we could get some runs from the top order, but maybe we have to think about this decision in the next game.”Bhatia has been one of India’s better performers with the bat leading up to the World Cup, and scored 58 and 42 in the tournament’s warm-ups. But she struggled to get going in the face of tight fields and tighter lines from the in-sync New Zealand. Having scratched her way to 28 off 58, a leading edge off Lea Tahuhu caused Bhatia’s undoing in the 20th over.”You have to give credit to the New Zealand bowlers [for] the way they bowled to her,” Das said. “What we have seen in the practice matches and the [earlier] matches, she is a really good bat and she has the strokes. As top-order batsman, as an opener, she did well and we thought like, no, she would come good. She has played only one game [in the World Cup]. I hope she comes good in the next matches.”India’s struggle wasn’t limited to just the quicks, who shared seven wickets among themselves, with Tahuhu claiming 10-2-17-3. Against offspinner Frances Mackay, who gave away just seven runs from her four overs in the powerplay, they seemed far from comfortable rotating the strike, let alone scoring boundaries. And when the in-form wristspinning allrounder Amelia Kerr joined the party in the 26th over, India’s struggle to read her variations was evident.”We played a whole series against New Zealand and picked up a few variations of her during the matches and we saw a lot of reviews,” Das said about Kerr’s googly, which accounted for Richa Ghosh – a first-ball duck – and tested several others. “I think it’s just a matter of picking the right line and right length. In the few games we played [against New Zealand], she bowled really well to our batters.”Thursday’s result meant India, runners-up at the 2017 ODI World Cup, slumped to the fifth spot on a closely contested table. Undefeated Australia, New Zealand – who now have two wins from three matches – West Indies and South Africa are ahead of them. India play their next game on Saturday, against West Indies, while New Zealand lock horns in a trans-Tasman face-off, against Australia, on Sunday.

Georgia Wareham takes key wickets as defending champions Invincibles suffer second defeat

Thomas Ridley11-Aug-2023Impressive Australian pair Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Wareham led Northern Superchargers to a straightforward 14-run victory against the Oval Invincibles at Headingley.The classy and composed Litchfield hit 68 from 45 balls, as she combined with skipper Hollie Armitage in a partnership worth 94, which helped the Superchargers reach 143 for 4, recovering well after losing both their openers early to South African international Marizanne Kapp. Wareham then impressed with the ball, taking 2 for 20, including the strange dismissal of England Ashes star Alice Capsey.Cordelia Griffith offered some resistance with a quickfire 30 off 15 deliveries, which included three fours and one six, but it was not enough for Invincibles.Invincibles now face an uphill challenge to make it three back-to-back titles, with only three points on the board having played half their games in the group stage. Superchargers, meanwhile, will be eyeing up a top three spot with their second victory of the week, which leaves them on six points from four games.Litchfield led the way for the Superchargers, helping her team recover from 15 for 2 after Kapp took two early wickets, including that of India international Jemimah Rodrigues, who was bowled for a golden duck.Following the powerplay, the Superchargers found their rhythm with Litchfield and Armitage regularly finding the boundary with some brilliant shots. Skipper Armitage was trying to lead her team to a big score but had to depart for 42 off 33 after chipping a Capsey delivery to mid-off.The first six of the innings did not come until the 86th ball, when the inventive Litchfield smashed a full toss from Ryana McDonald-Gay over the midwicket boundary. Five balls later she was dismissed for 68 off 45 balls as she clubbed an Eva Gray delivery straight to the fielder at long-off. Superchargers finished on 143 for 4, with Bess Heath hitting the final ball for four.After a good start to the Invincibles chase, former Supercharger Lauren Winfield-Hill was bowled for 15 – but Grace Ballinger had bowled a no-ball and the resulting free hit was dispatched to the boundary. However, Winfield-Hill didn’t capitalise on her reprieve as she was caught at mid-on off the bowling of Alice Davidson-Richards for 19.Capsey was then bizarrely dismissed as she advanced down the pitch to Wareham but completely lost sight of the ball and it made its way to wicketkeeper Heath, who whipped off the bails at the second time of asking with the 19-year-old England international watching on still some way down the pitch.Linsey Smith then got the key wicket of Kapp, who departed for 4 as she drilled a wide one straight to the impressive Litchfield in the covers.Superchargers asserted their dominance with the dismissal of Paige Scholfield, who pulled a Wareham delivery straight to Smith on the square-leg boundary, and Invincibles saw their hopes of victory fade when stand-in captain Suzie Bates, who stepped into the role because Dane van Niekerk was missing with a thumb injury, cut a Kate Cross delivery straight to Rodrigues at point.Griffith did show some resistance for Invincibles with a quickfire 30 from 15 deliveries, but it was not enough to stop Superchargers’ victory charge.

With rivals Kent dominating Nottinghamshire, bottom club need unlikely turnaround at Edgbaston

ECB Reporters Network12-Sep-2023 Warwickshire 142 for 4 (White 3-37) trail Northamptonshire 250 (Nair 78, Gay 77, Hannon-Dalby 7-46) by 108 runs – no play on Tuesday due to rainNorthamptonshire’s Division One status hangs by a thread after the third day of their LV=Insurance County Championship visit to Warwickshire was washed out.Relentless drizzle from a leaden sky left Edgbaston sodden and the match frozen in only its second innings – Warwickshire on 142 for four in reply to 250 – with just one day left.Northamptonshire’s frustration only increased as, while they watch the drizzle fall in Birmingham, there was play in Canterbury where Kent took advantage by forcing Nottinghamshire to follow on.With their remaining fixtures coming up against the title contenders Surrey and Essex, the visitors need to deliver something spectacular on the final day against a Warwickshire side which can, if they wish, bat without taking risks in pursuit of bonus points.

Charl Langeveldt is back as bowling coach, while Brad Haddin has been named assistant coach

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2022Punjab Kings have announced more changes to their support staff ahead of the next IPL, bringing back Wasim Jaffer as their batting coach and Charl Langeveldt as the bowling coach. They have also roped in Brad Haddin as the assistant coach.In September, they appointed Trevor Bayliss as head coach, after Anil Kumble’s contract was not renewed. Earlier this month, Shikhar Dhawan replaced Mayank Agarwal – who was also recently released from the squad – as captain for IPL 2023. Kings had failed to make the playoffs for three consecutive seasons under Kumble.Related

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Jaffer, who was appointed in the role ahead of the 2020 season under Kumble, had stepped down ahead of the mega auction last year. In July 2021, he was appointed chief coach of the Odisha Ranji team following which he took up a role with the Bangladesh U-19 side.Langeveldt, meanwhile, worked as Punjab’s bowling coach during IPL 2020 and was replaced by Damien Wright in 2021. He is also currently the bowling coach of the South Africa men’s team.Former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Haddin will once again team up with Bayliss, with whom he had previously worked at Sunrisers Hyderabad in the same role.Following yet another season in which they failed to make the final four, Kings have rung in changes, releasing nine players at the end of the retention deadline day on November 15. Apart from Agarwal and Odean Smith, none of their other releases were major players in their first XI last season, and Kings go into the IPL 2023 auction, slated for December 23, with the second-highest purse of INR 32.2 crore.

Tom Banton retained in squad after standing in for Dawid Malan during Sri Lanka ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2021England have named an unchanged 16-player squad for the three-match ODI series against Pakistan, which gets underway in Cardiff on July 8.England are already 2-0 up in their ODI series against Sri Lanka, with the final match taking place in Bristol on Sunday. Tom Banton was a late call-up for that series, after Dawid Malan withdrew for family reasons, and he retains his place in the squad to face Pakistan.Speaking in the wake of England’s eight-wicket win in the second ODI against Sri Lanka, at The Kia Oval on Thursday, Graham Thorpe indicated that changes could be afoot for the Bristol fixture, as England seek to test their bench strength ahead of the Pakistan series, which he admitted was likely to be a stiffer test of their credentials than Sri Lanka have managed to offer.”Potentially the Pakistan series could push us further,” Thorpe said. “We’ve been pleased with our own performances. We didn’t want any complacency to creep in. And because of the competition we have, the players want to put in good performances.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Sri Lanka have a decent group of players, there’s no doubt about that. I think they’ve been weakened more on their batting side than their bowling unit but I believe Pakistan will be a team that’s further ahead in terms of experience and how they’ll be able to challenge. It’ll probably be a tougher contest.”One player who could come into the mix for the Bristol match is George Garton, the Sussex left-arm fast bowler. If selected, he will be making his England debut, three years after he was drafted into the Test squad as a replacement in the 2017-18 Ashes.Liam Dawson, Hampshire’s left-arm-spinning allrounder, is another player who has yet to feature in either match so far, and could be set for his first England appearance since 2018, having been a non-playing reserve in the 2019 World Cup-winning squad.England will name their squad for the T20I leg of the Pakistan series later this month, a series which will serve as an important pointer ahead of the T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman this winter.”I think it will be a very good series,” Moeen Ali said. “Pakistan are normally a very good side, they give us good games, and I think they’ll be a stronger opposition than Sri Lanka, which means you get more of a chance to bat and bowl as a player who’s down the order, for example, and hasn’t been bowling much.”Definitely, they are one of the best [T20I] teams in the world, along with West Indies, India, Australia,’ he said. “I think Pakistan are our bogey-team in World Cups, they always seem to do really well against us, so we can’t take them lightly at all, they are a fantastic team with quality players.”England ODI series vs Pakistan

1st ODI, Cardiff, July 8

2nd ODI, Lord’s, July 10

3rd ODI, Edgbaston, July 13