England Captain Eoin Morgan has expressed that his team could take the unusual option of playing three spinners in their opening One-Day International (ODI) against Pakistan at Southampton on Wednesday.
As a result, Hampshire left-arm spinner Liam Dawson could make his ODI debut on his home ground along with off-spinner Moeen Ali and leg-break bowler Adil Rashid. “Having Liam Dawson brings the option of playing three spinners and that is something we might have to take into consideration as we look ahead to the winter tours of Bangladesh and India,” Morgan told reporters at Southampton on Tuesday.
“It will be a very tough series against Pakistan, especially as the recent weather means conditions may suit them more than they suit us initially. It is a good test leading into the winter.” Meanwhile, Morgan said he expected Alex Hales to return to form in white-ball cricket after the Nottinghamshire opener struggled in the drawn 2-2 Test series against Pakistan, “Alex played very well in the limited-overs matches in South Africa last winter even though he didn't have the best time in the Tests,” said Morgan.
All-rounder Ben Stokes is back in the squad after a calf injury but, despite bowling in the nets, Morgan said the pace man would play as a batsman only in at least the first two ODIs.
However, Pakistan, following their results in England, and India s rain-affected fourth Test draws with the West Indies in Port-of-Spain, are now number one in the Test rankings for the first time in history. By contrast, they are just ninth in the ODI standings but Pakistan’s ODI Captain Azhar Ali is confident and wants to see the team take the form that had made them the world s number one-ranked Test side into their one-day series against England.
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