The Test series between England and Pakistan produced some wonderful memories, with some incredible individual performances. Now, the two teams will be involved in a five-match ODI series, with the first match set to be played at Rose Bowl in Southampton on Wednesday.
Though England and Pakistan looked good in the Test series, the limited overs format is a different matter altogether. There are some major changes in both the teams for the ODI series.
England will come into this series as a confident unit, as their record in coloured clothing has been impressive. They defeated Sri Lanka in their last ODI series, and will be keen to deliver the goods against Pakistan as well. Pakistan lost to New Zealand earlier in the year, but defeated Ireland in the two-match ODI series last week.
Pakistan, who have climbed to the top spot in the ICC Test rankings, have not been able to shine in the ODI format. They are currently languishing in the ninth position, which explains their below par performances, but this series against England gives them a good chance to showcase their skills and collect some important points from the series.
Azhar Ali will captain the ODI side, and the batsman will want to carry the team's Test form into the ODI series.
"Confidence is very high and belief is there, obviously coming in from the Test series, we had a very good couple of months here. We take that confidence into the one-day internationals as well," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Azhar as saying.
"It is a massive boost and a proud moment for Pakistan cricket and the whole nation is very happy about it, as players the team is really happy about it. It's definitely a good thing for us, our one-day ranking is not great right now but we will take the opportunity the way the team is performing, hopefully we can convert it into ODIs as well."
Pakistan have a good squad comprising quality batsmen and bowlers including Sharjeel Khan, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Shah and Mohammad Amir. If these players get their game going, Pakistan could be well in the driving seat.
Talking about England, they too have a solid side, with some solid mix of all-rounders, batsmen and bowlers. With England playing at home, they are always going to be huge as they know the conditions much better than the Pakistani players.
This England team has a lot of character, and with stars like Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Joe Root and Alax Hales, they have players, who play positive cricket to emerge victorious. But skipper Eoin Morgan is aware of the tough challenge in the series.
"I think it's hugely important playing against Pakistan who are flying high at the minute, in Test cricket, but that rubs off on any side doing well. Also when teams tour places they don't come to that often they get better as they go along, so that's another challenge ... With the way we've been performing we'd like to think we are progressing nicely but we have a tough series ahead and a tough winter," Morgan said.
Both teams understand the importance of the first match of any series, as a win can give them immense confidence and momentum to do well in the remaining matches. Hence, some quality cricket is expected on Wednesday.
Where to watch live
England vs Pakistan 1st ODI is scheduled for 2 p.m BST (6:30 p.m IST, 6 p.m Pakistan time) start. Here is live TV and streaming information for the match.
India - TV: Star Sports 2/HD. Live Streaming: Starsports.com
Pakistan – TV: PTV Sports. Live streaming: PTV Sports live
UK: TV: Sky Sports 2. Live Streaming: Sky Go
