Hasan Ali, Pakistan pacer has been rested for the first of the three T20Is against England as a precautionary measure due to a strain in his left leg, which he picked during a training session at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
The fast bowler will now be assessed ahead of the second T20I, following which a decision on his participation will be made.
Hasan Ali Picked Up A Strain In His Left Leg
Hasan Ali will miss the first of the three T20Is against England as a precautionary measure after picking up a strain in his left leg during a training session at Trent Bridge on Thursday. PCB has announced Hasan Ali’s unavailability on the morning of the first game.
Hasan Ali played all the three ODIs against England where he returned a five-wicket haul in the second game. It was his first ODI five-wicket haul since 2017 after having had been set back by a back injury that ruled him out for over a year. He was then hit by a groin injury on return, forcing an absence that extended 20 months.
A decision on the pacer’s further availability will be made after assessments ahead of the second T20I. The first match of the three-match series will be played on Friday (July 16).
Babar Azam Led Pakistan Will Be Under Pressure For Losing The ODI Series 3-0 And Because Of England Regulars Return In T20Is
After the drubbing, Babar Azam & Co are aiming to bounce back and clinch the three-match T20 series against Eoin Morgan’s England, who have got their first team back after the entire squad was put into isolation following a COVID outbreak in the Three Lions camp ahead of the Pakistan series.
The series is going to be a huge step in preparations for the upcoming 2021 T20I World Cup for both teams and nail-biting encounters may be seen when the series kicks off on Friday. Things will be difficult for the visitors as a host of England regulars will return to the side including captain Eoin Morgan.
Pakistan was undone in the ODI series due to the lack of partnerships at the top of the order and the only time they crossed 200 was when two of their top three batsmen registered big scores. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan will take a cue from their series win over South Africa earlier this year and hope to give brisk starts, with pitches very conducive for scoring runs in England.
Mohammad Rizwan has the license to take on the bowlers as Babar Azam takes up the anchor role, and both will need to practice their roles to perfection should the Men in Green have any chance to win the T20I series.
England recently won the three-match ODI series against the visitors with their second team after the first side had to self-isolate due to seven Covid-19 cases in the squad just before the series. Several second-team players gave commanding performances as England beat Pakistan 3-0.
Three players who have stood out in the ODI series against Pakistan are fast bowler Saqib Mahmood, seam-bowling all-rounder Lewis Gregory and James Vince, who scored a century in the third ODI. The likes of Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, and Eoin Morgan return while Ben Stokes has been rested.
ENG vs PAK Probable Playing 11
ENG Playing 11
Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordon, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Tom Curran
PAK Playing 11
Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Sohaib Maqsood, Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Hafeez, Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf