As far as England overseas tours go, the 2015 one in the UAE against Pakistan has been more of a rollercoaster than most.
It started off with a disappointing 2-0 defeat in the Test series, despite the Three Lions having a chance to get something out of each of the three matches, particularly the first Test in Abu Dhabi where they were 25 runs away from victory before bad light stopped that from happening.
However, a 3-1 win in the ODI series has given them renewed vigor going into the three-match T20 series, which starts on Thursday in Dubai. None more so than previously out-of-form wicket-keeper/batsman Jos Buttler who smashed a century off just 46 balls in the fourth ODI last Friday, the fastest by an English player in this format, to set up an 84-run win.
With the World T20 in India just four months away, this series is the perfect opportunity for both Pakistan and England to fine-tune their line-ups and hopefully create some entertainment in front of what are expected to be much larger crowds than what we saw in both the Test and ODI series.
For England and captain Eoin Morgan, it will be a chance to see how far the side has come in the 19 months since the last World T20 in Bangladesh, where they were humiliated by the Netherlands in their last group match before heading home early. But with two wins from their last two 20-over games – against New Zealand and Australia in England – maybe there are reasons to be optimistic.
A 79-run win in Monday’s warm-up game against the United Arab Emirates, which included 59 from 29 balls by Jason Roy, was a good workout for the tourists, and it will be up to openers Roy and Alex Hales to give England the platform they need to succeed. Lower down the order, Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Morgan, Buttler and Sam Billings will also look to contribute in a major way while Hampshire’s James Vince will look to make the most of his opportunity as well.
Seam bowling will be provided by the likes of David Willey, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett and Reece Topley while Moeen, Adil Rashid and Lancashire left-armer Stephen Parry will bring the spin.
Pakistan will be led by the enigmatic all-rounder Shahid “Boom Boom” Afridi, one of the greatest big-hitting cricketers of all time. He won’t be alone in his quest to down England though as Ahmed Shehzad – a.k.a the “Selfie King”, and Umar Akmal will look to make waves with the bat while left-arm seamer Sohali Tanvir will be trying to cause their opponents’ problems with the ball.
After more than a decade of T20 cricket, we know what to expect by now: boundaries, boundaries and more boundaries with the odd wicket to bring parity to the proceedings. So hopefully more of the same then for this one.
