Toss England chose to bowl v Pakistan
England have won the toss and put Pakistan into bat in the first ODI at The Oval. Under overcast conditions in a game reduced to 47 overs-a-side due to rain that delayed the start by 75 minutes, Eoin Morgan chose to stick with batting second. With further rain very much possible over the next few hours, DLS could come into play, a fact not lost on Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who admitted he would have bowled first too.
Jason Roy wasn’t deemed fit enough to start yet, meaning James Vince will open the batting with Jonny Bairstow, while Moeen Ali’s absence gives Joe Denly another chance in the middle order. Jofra Archer, whose potential inclusion in the final World Cup squad has generated much fiery debate in England, starts alongside Liam Plunkett and Chris Woakes as the three frontline fast bowlers, while Adil Rashid is the lead spinner.
Pakistan’s team is fairly predictable, although Yasir Shah’s absence might come as a mild surprise, given the legspinner needs game time should he be required to fill in for an illness-stricken Shadab Khan at the World Cup. Mohammad Amir, not chosen in the preliminary squad, starts in a bid to gain a spot in the final 15, while allrounder Imad Wasim is the lead spin option.
This five-match series is the last cricket either team plays ahead of the World Cup, where England kick off proceedings with the opening game against South Africa on May 30.
England: 1 James Vince, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Joe Denly, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Chris Woakes, 11 Liam Plunkett.
Pakistan: 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Haris Sohail, 5 Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt/wk), 6 Asif Ali, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Mohammad Amir
Source: ESPN Crickinfo