Tough to call Twenty20s on unpredictable tour
ESPNcricinfo previews the opening Twenty20 between Pakistan and England at the start of a three-match series
Match facts
Thursday February 23, DubaiStart time 2000 (1600 GMT)
Big Picture
It would be a mistake to dismiss the three-match Twenty20 series at the end of this unpredictable tour involving Pakistan and England as inconsequential. It is nothing of the sort. Twenty20 might be anathema to some but the size of its audience is undeniable. There is a World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September to plan for and these matches will be vital preparation for both sides.Form guide (most recent first)
Pakistan: WWWWLEngland: WLWWL
Players to watch ...
Awais Zia, a dashing left-hander, gets an opportunity as Younis Khan and Azhar Ali return home. Zia, 25, from Chakwal in the Punjab, has even been called "the new Boom Boom." No pressure there then.Team news
Team news is patchy. Broad admitted that England had injuries and then refused to say what injuries they were, encouraging more Cook Fever. Ravi Bopara's bad back may rule him out although he trained on Wednesday. Pakistan will play Awais Zia but the presence of Hammad Azam, overlooked for the ODIs, ahead of Imran Farhat is less certain especially as Misbah has expressed the wish for those who failed in the one-day series to make amends.Pitch and conditions
Pitches in Dubai have offered enough pace to encourage strokeplay so the odds are on a high-scoring match.Stats and trivia
- Temperatures in parts of the UAE fell as low as 9C in mountainous areas, 12C on the coast, on Tuesday with storm-force winds, sandstorms and rough seas.
Quotes
"No reassurances needed to be given. We've worked closely as three captains, as we have done for nearly a year now, and that doesn't change overnight."Stuart Broad, England's Twenty20 captain, less concerned than the media about the addition of Alastair Cook to the squad.
Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan's captain, reflecting after the 4-0 defeat in the one-day series upon a home series that is nothing of the sort.
David Hopps is the UK editor of ESPNcricinfo