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Key events
The Pakistan players, in bright pink, are gathered on the side of the field, engaged in a team talk and ready to let rip at England.
England’s openers, in blue different hues of blue, have bumped fists and are making their way to the middle. Can they get their team off to a decent start this time?
Mark Butcher is touching the surface now.
Looks a road. But what do I know? The last time England played here they failed to defend 352 against Australia.
Runs, runs and more runs is what I foresee on a fast and true deck.
Chris Woakes is on my screen speaking like a veteran pundit.
Good opportunity to share this from his co-author, our very own Ali Martin:
Pakistan team
Two changes from their last game.
Pace bowler Razaullah makes his debut and Shadab Kahan returns to the side. Naseem Shah dislocated his finger in the warm up, though his skipper says he’ll be fine for the next match. Faheem Ashraf misses out today as well.
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Saad Baig (wk), Salman Alo Agha, Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Razaullah, Haris Rauf.
England team
A bowler was always going to get the axe and its Josh Tongue who misses out.
In comes Henry Crocombe to make his debut. Inexplicably, Adil Rashid continues to warm the bench.
England: Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jordon Cox (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Gus Atkinson, Henry Crocombe.
Pakistan win the toss and bowl
Shaheen Afridi gets the coin flip go his way and wants to bowl.
He cites the ‘fresh’ surface as a reason for his decision, wanting to get a look at it before having a bat.
Anyone else seeing a red glass on the bottom right corner of their screen?
I promise I’m not at a pub!
Anyway, here comes the toss…
There’s been a late call up for Maaz Sadaqat to the Pakistan squad. He replaces the injured left-arm spinner Sufyan Moqeem.
Oh, worth also mentioning that Pakistan will wear pink today, taking a lead out of South Africa’s book as they change from their natural green to raise funds and awarness for breast cancer.
Reports are it’s nice and sunny in Lahore. Should be a belter of a day. Expect loads of runs.
While you settle in, why not catch up on some reading (Barney’s piece on Temba Bavuma is quite excellent)”:
Preamble
Daniel Gallan
For the past two days, I’ve not been able to get Harry Brook out of my mind.
What has been going through his head since he clobbered and caressed his way to the fastest double-century in ODI history, a staggering 202 from 116 balls, only to watch his bowlers fail to defend 430?
What’s the equivalent in another sport? Scoring six goals in football only for your defence to concede seven in the second half? Hitting every fairway in golf, then four-putting every green?
Brook is back in action as England face Pakistan for the second time in this tri-series. Pakistan won the teams’ previous meeting by 87 runs, with Brook making five as England’s batters folded against Arafat Minhas’ six-for; bowled out for 215.
A win would send Pakistan into the final with a game to spare, and they have the chance to do it at their Lahore HQ. For England, a third straight defeat in this format, less than a year before the World Cup, would deepen the questions. They need to put together a complete performance.
Will they do it? We’ll find out when things get going at 8am UK time.
Got your coffee and toast? Let’s get stuck in!
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