"I feel our side is a very good side & I don't think this is a second-string squad": Moeen Ali

[MenInG]

"I feel our side is a very good side & I don't think this is a second-string squad": Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali speaking to the press:

How special is it to lead your side when you have roots in Pakistan

"Yes, 100%, with my roots being from here and to lead England in such a big and historic series is a very proud moment for me and my family, my mum and dad and everybody; Of course, my family is very happy as are my friends and my community and everybody who I feel I represent are very happy for me; So captaining England in any game, anywhere in the world is a huge honour for me"

Is this a second-string England side with the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy not there?

"No, it is not, the only person from the guys who could have been here is Ben Stokes; Jonny Bairstow is injured, Jason Roy has been dropped and Jofra Archer is injured, Chris Woakes is injured; I still feel our side is a very good side and I don't think this is a second string side; Naturally with Eoin Morgan not captaining now, we will have a bit of a change; Jos Buttler is injured and he is our captain; So its not through selection (that we have this side) but its though injuries and bad fortune; Throughout the summer we have had injuries so it gives good opportunities to new players to come in; We have; Jos will bring in players he thinks are good enough and will give chances to new players"

Is Jos Buttler ruled out for all 7 matches in Pakistan?

"We are not sure, he's done his calf in during the 100 in summer, so he is careful about it, so maybe at the backend of the tour he will play one or 2 games but we are not sure; The World Cup in Australia is huge for us and we want him fit for the whole competition so no risks will be taken so he will decide whether he will play in the last one or 2 games"

Spin will have a say in this series.

"I think the wickets will change over the course of the series, but I don't think it will be the spinners only although they will play a big part in the series; Both sides play spinner well, and Pakistan have very good spinners, Nawaz and Shadab are fantastic all-rounders"

"We were speaking to Saqlain only because he has been our teacher and coach for England, and we have a lot of respect for him, and we were catching up"

 

[Rana]

England 2nd string side were too good for Pakistan last summer in England. Who cares if it’s their full team or 2nd team. Their cricketers and their philosophy is far superior than ours

 

[MenInG]

I'm so proud to be leading England in the land of my heritage: MOEEN ALI

When my grandfather Shafayat came to England from Pakistan after the Second World War, I doubt even he would have imagined that his grandson would return to the country of his heritage and represent his adopted country as a professional sportsman.

I have been privileged enough to do many overseas trips as an England cricketer from Australia to South Africa to the Caribbean but this tour to Pakistan might be the most special of the lot.

It is going to be memorable playing in front of the Pakistani crowds and also an immense honour to deputise for Jos Buttler, while he recovers from injury, and captain England.

For those who do not know, my family background is both English and Pakistani. In fact, my late grandmother was called Betty Cox but I reckon the cricketing side of me definitely comes from my Pakistani side.

I grew up playing the game with a taped up ball like they do in Pakistan and my dad always says I have had that Asian style of playing the game without any fear.

Indeed, it is the first time an England men's side has come to Pakistan since 2005. I was 18 then. I'm 35 now and I must admit I have been looking forward to this trip for a long time. The fact that England are here is huge and it definitely feels like there is something to it.

Quite a few of the squad, including myself, have played in the PSL (Pakistan's T20 competition) and trust me, the love and the passion for the game in this area of the world is second to none. I have been here a few times now but sharing this journey with Adil Rashid, who is also of Pakistani heritage, was a particularly proud moment.

It was a real pinch-me moment when we got off the plane at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi in our England gear.

This country holds a special place in my heart, for it was here where my mother was born and it was in Karachi where my dad and his twin brother had their lives saved by a doctor when they were seven months old.

They fell ill in the village of Dadyal which is in Kashmir. Back then, Dadyal was a basic village and both my father and uncle were taken to Karachi for medical help.

We are hoping we can raise the morale of the country by playing cricket in times of difficulty, with the devastating floods that have sadly affected Pakistan. It is a great initiative by the ECB to match our donation as players to the Disasters Emergency Committee's appeal.

We arrived in the hustle and bustle of Karachi on Thursday morning. Over here, they have granted us VVIP protection — the level given to heads of state — so straight from the plane, we were escorted into bulletproof buses and escorted by an armed convoy to the team hotel.

Of course, this tour is important for cricket and it is also crucial for us as a side. Seven T20s will be a stern test in these conditions and a good pointer for where we are, ahead of the World Cup in Australia next month.

Our side has undergone some change since last year's agonising defeat to New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final and the retirement of Eoin Morgan and the freak injury to Jonny Bairstow means that personally, there is some extra responsibility on my shoulders as one of the seniors but it is something I am looking forward to.

As long as I play my best cricket, that is all that matters. It is not a full-strength squad out here but it is an exciting squad with experience and lots of young talent. With seven games, there is plenty of opportunity for someone to thrive.

I'm delighted for Tom Helm who was excellent for us in the Hundred and it is good to see Olly Stone fit and firing again. It is great to see some new faces and some of the older faces back with the squad, like Chris Woakes and Mark Wood.

I'm looking forward to seeing Alex Hales play. He is a gun player with experience of performing in Pakistan and Australia and as Jos said in the first press conference, we discussed internally and no one had any issues with his recall. What's done is done and we are looking forward to seeing him perform in an England shirt again.

Touring life can be tough, especially when we are restricted to the hotels and grounds like we are here and being away from family is challenging. The hardest part is saying goodbye to my family and my two kids — Abu Bakr and Haadhiya.

They are old enough now and they get why their dad has to leave home, but no matter how many times we do it in this job, it is never easy.

This is the start of a busy winter schedule that sees England playing in Pakistan, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh. I will also be playing in the new UAE T20 franchise league which starts in January.

There has been some talk in the media about the Test tour to Pakistan in December. Watching the Test side this summer has been amazing and seeing the way that Baz (Brendon McCullum) and Stokesy (Ben Stokes) have shifted the momentum. It has been a breath of fresh air.

From an outsider looking in, it is exciting and it is a brand of cricket that fits in exactly with how I like to play my cricket, with freedom and aggression.

I know I said I was unretired this summer after Baz gave me a call. I have had a few conversations with Baz and he is a guy who is very tough to say no to! But I have got to be honest with myself, I retired from Test cricket for a range of reasons.

I have not yet decided so let's see. It is still a few months away but at the moment, my focus is on the opportunity immediately in front of us to prepare and give ourselves the best chance of winning another World Cup for England.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/c...and-historic-test-Pakistan-land-heritage.html

 

[Mamoon]

Well if Moeen the Mediocre is captaining England then it is automatically a second-string side.

He is extremely lucky to have a white ball career for England after he was on a one man mission to derail England’s 2019 World Cup campaign and had to be kicked out of the playing XI for England to get their tournament back on track.

 

[Rajdeep]

Is Jos Butler not the captain?

 

[Mamoon]

Is Jos Butler not the captain?

He is, but he is not fully fit and playing a 7 match T20 series against a small team right before the World T20 is not a risk worth taking.

Let’s see if he plays a game or two just to gain some match practice.

 

[Fazzy321]

Well if Moeen the Mediocre is captaining England then it is automatically a second-string side.

He is extremely lucky to have a white ball career for England after he was on a one man mission to derail England’s 2019 World Cup campaign and had to be kicked out of the playing XI for England to get their tournament back on track.

If England is a second string side, so is Pakistan without Shaheen Afridi.

 

[Mamoon]

If England is a second string side, so is Pakistan without Shaheen Afridi.

Absence of one player doesn't make it a second-string side.

 

[Local.Dada]

The problem for India and Pakistan playing a series this close to the WT20 is while England and Australia won’t make any changes even if they get whitewashed here and only take the learnings from defeat and apply to the current squad.

If India loses badly there will be immense pressure on the team, criticism etc which is not good considering how poor our team has been on pressure situations. The TM is too stubborn to make any changes even if it is legitimate need.

If Pak loses badly then brace yourselves for a lot of coming-out-of-retirement type stories.

Having a marquee bilateral series this close is a bad idea for both sc teams.

 

[Bilal7]

It's great to see Moeen leading England. He's always been a good captain and this will be inspiring for young Muslims and British Asians after the ECB's previous treatment of minorities.

 

[Bilal7]

The problem for India and Pakistan playing a series this close to the WT20 is while England and Australia won’t make any changes even if they get whitewashed here and only take the learnings from defeat and apply to the current squad.

If India loses badly there will be immense pressure on the team, criticism etc which is not good considering how poor our team has been on pressure situations. The TM is too stubborn to make any changes even if it is legitimate need.

If Pak loses badly then brace yourselves for a lot of coming-out-of-retirement type stories.

Having a marquee bilateral series this close is a bad idea for both sc teams.

It's a good thing then that neither team can make changes to their respective squads. We have our 15, let's back them now and give them the match practice they need to get back in form.

 

[Forum363]

Great to see Mooen in charge. Butler is the MVP in limited over cricket in the world right now but he is a terrible captain and England made a mistake by appointing him. Just like Root was a disaster in test cricket and Stokes has turned it around, Butler will continue to flop (as captain) in limited overs, though England's powerful batting might give him some success to hide behind.

Moeen is also particularly suited to this slightly nervy Pakistan tour and to help with the reintegration of Hales. England was fortunate to have him during this transition period.

 

[Forum363]

There is a high level of racism (against asians specifically) in English cricket. Those of us who grew up here and had to deal with it, realise how much of an icon Moeen has been.

The whole episode with Yorkshire and Scotland brought some of it to light but it just further highlights how much of an achievement it was for Mooen with his outwardly muslim appearance too.

 

[Bilal7]

The whole episode with Yorkshire and Scotland brought some of it to light but it just further highlights how much of an achievement it was for Mooen with his outwardly muslim appearance too.

We have others now like Rashid, Saqib and Haseeb but Moeen came in way back in 2014/2015 when England was still very much a White team in a White sport. Moeen was the first to change that perception by winning England crucial series and being unapologetic about his views.

Now he's captaining England. It's a great story and he's undoubtedly an icon.

 

[Saj]

England favourites surely?

Look strong even without Stokes, Bairstow, Archer

 

[James]

Proud moment for cricket in the UK and the UK more generally to see a British Muslim man representing England as the team captain.

 

[MenInG]

Moeen Ali has been waiting for this tour. He has been dreaming about it since he felt he had earned his place in the England team. But he never imagined he would be captain when it finally happened. “It’s a great honour regardless of who it’s against,” Moeen says, “but to do it in Pakistan when the team are coming back here, that’s amazing for me personally, especially when I have family who migrated from here back in the day.”

His grandfather moved to England from Kashmir after the second world war and his mother was born here. He spent time playing here as a child and again, more recently, in the Pakistan Super League.

“I’m somebody that wants to play cricket in every nation,” Moeen says, “and Pakistan especially, after so long.” It has been 17 years since England were last here. His decision to play in the PSL in 2020 was, he says, because he wanted to help play his part in “putting Pakistan cricket back on the map”. He sees this tour as an extension of that. “I wanted to be part of this. It’s a big thing when England come to Pakistan, more than any other country, England’s the one that the Pakistan fans really love to see coming here.”

His phone has not stopped ringing since he arrived. He has an uncle who lives here and plenty of friends too. “I’ve had so many messages”– most of them asking if he can help dig up tickets – “that it’s a bit of a killer for me.” But he is happy to have the distraction. He is obviously frustrated with the tight security for the tour and the way he and the team are sealed off from the city in Karachi. He brought his wife and children out when he was playing in the PSL and they spent time visiting friends and going to cafes. In between training this week he has been stuck in the team room, reading, chatting, playing cards.

He says the restrictions are going to shape his decision about whether or not to make himself available for the Test matches here in December. He had seemed enthusiastic when Brendon McCullum floated the idea of picking him earlier in the summer but he seems to have pulled back from that. “I’m not sure yet,” he says. “I want to see how this goes. I don’t like being stuck in a hotel for so long so I’m going to see how I cope with this as well.”

It was frustrating for him that England pulled out of their planned tour here last year but he is phlegmatic about it now. “Obviously there was still a little bit of Covid then, so you don’t know what the restrictions might have been. At least now everybody can come. I’m a big believer that when things aren’t easy, if you have a bit of patience, then they become easy.” That idea seems to be on his mind. It comes up again when he is talking about the state of the team before the T20 World Cup next month.

“It’s not my style to be desperate for something,” Moeen says. “It is important we don’t put pressure on ourselves and say: ‘We are going to win a World Cup.’ We have been such a good side over the last two or three years but we have missed out too, which is about weight of expectation. I think we need to focus on one game. Let’s play our best cricket and not worry about the end result. That will take care of itself. The World Cup in 2019 was different. We were the favourites, but I don’t think we are favourites now. I think we are one of the better sides, not favourites.”

England have brought an odd squad here. It has been picked with one eye on the World Cup and the other on bringing new players through for the years after. It includes four players – Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, and Reece Topley – who will miss the opening game on Tuesday because they are working their way back to fitness in time for the World Cup, and six more – Will Jacks, Tom Helm, Jordan Cox, Luke Wood, Ben Duckett and Olly Stone – who were not picked for the tournament. All that uncertainty means Moeen has taken on a different role. This is Buttler’s team but it is clear, listening to Moeen here, that he is leading, too, and not just at the toss.

He has some strong ideas about what went wrong this summer, when the team lost series against South Africa and India. “This summer was quite poor for us. We didn’t play very well at all.” He says they spent too much time talking about the way they used to do things when Eoin Morgan was captain. “‘We used to do this’, ‘We used to do that’ or ‘The reason why we were so good was this’. We have to move on from that now. It is not easy for Jos coming in and taking over from Eoin but it is Jos’s side now. I think this is going to be the starting point. You are going to see a real change in the way the side goes about things.”

They will still want to be “brave and be aggressive, like we always have been” but “there also needs to be more of a method to it”, he says. “This summer we were going out and trying to be really aggressive and we were being bowled out.” It’s hardest for the more inexperienced players. “They’ve seen the way we’ve played over the last four or five years and they think they need to come in and go bang, bang, bang with the bat. But actually it doesn’t need to be that. We need to get that balance right.”

Pakistan are in a similar position, with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Fakhar Zaman out injured and three debutants in this format in their squad, including Shan Masood, who made so many runs for Derbyshire this summer. “Both teams are probably on the same level at the moment. We’ve got players missing, they’ve got a couple missing, they’re also having a bit of a transition even though they’re playing well, I’m expecting a really hard series, a tight series.” And an exciting series. It is the nature of T20 that games come and go but he, at least, will surely remember these seven long after they are over.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/sep/19/moeen-ali-england-cricket-pakistan-t20-world-cup

 

[Bilal7]

Great captaincy from Moeen thus far. The fact that he allowed the younger guys like Duckett and Brook to bat above him and give them time to make a mark speaks to his class.

 

[Rana]

Great captaincy from Moeen thus far. The fact that he allowed the younger guys like Duckett and Brook to bat above him and give them time to make a mark speaks to his class.

This

Our captain only cares about his own batting position and runs

 

[Forum363]

Great captaincy from Moeen thus far. The fact that he allowed the younger guys like Duckett and Brook to bat above him and give them time to make a mark speaks to his class.

He’s a terrific leader and will get the best out of Hales too.

England should make him the permanent leader now rather than waiting for Butler to lose matches.

 

[Bilal7]

He’s a terrific leader and will get the best out of Hales too.

England should make him the permanent leader now rather than waiting for Butler to lose matches.

Depending on how this series goes and the World Cup later on, that could definitely be the case.

 

[James]

Moeen did a fantastic job today as the leader of the team. Had a bit of an aura about him. Looks very relaxed and confident in the role. Unlike Jos.

 

[Mamoon]

It is a second-string side, and England could pick their Lions squad and they would probably rinse Pakistan’s first team.

The lack of talent in Pakistan is pure comedy, but the arrogance and delusion of the fans are only increasing.

 

[shaz619]

Moeen did a fantastic job today as the leader of the team. Had a bit of an aura about him. Looks very relaxed and confident in the role. Unlike Jos.

It’s experience, not his first rodeo and he has been a natural leader even from the days of featuring in the birmingham premier league, never mind the domestic success. I felt that Mo was a natural successor to Morgan in at least one of the LOI forms, England have been getting him to do the role quiet a bit but without showing him faith or giving any confidence, as they’ve done so in his career. Rather then thrusting someone into the deep end which is a bit of a gamble, having a seasoned/cool head would have been ideal in the interim and better for England in the long run

 

[shaz619]

Great captaincy from Moeen thus far. The fact that he allowed the younger guys like Duckett and Brook to bat above him and give them time to make a mark speaks to his class.

The class can’t be described in words, we all know Mo prefers to Bat in the top order. But rather making sure he is in the best positions possible, he’s giving these youngsters every chance to succeed, the sort of opportunities which will do wonders for ones confidence to. We all know Malan likes to bat at no.3, well Mo will allow him that freedom to do continue to play there even when the conditions don’t suit his style of play

 

[Bilal7]

The class can’t be described in words, we all know Mo prefers to Bat in the top order. But rather making sure he is in the best positions possible, he’s giving these youngsters every chance to succeed, the sort of opportunities which will do wonders for ones confidence to. We all know Malan likes to bat at no.3, well Mo will allow him that freedom to do continue to play there even when the conditions don’t suit his style of play

Can't say many other cricketers would do what Moeen did. Kohli played the innings of his life opening the batting but Sharma went right back to opening in the next game.

Also like how he made Hales feel special by praising him and not bringing up what he did to get himself blacklisted even once.

 

[topspin]

I don't rate Moeen the cricketer but as captain he's always impressed in the NatWest T20 and 100 so no surprises with him excelling as skipper as yesterday.

Babar Azam on the other hand is so trash. Even worse than Sarfraz and is close to Misbah's level.

If he was a solid player, I think he would have been appointed permanent captain for England by now.

 

[shamaan]

This is definitely second string side only Moeen,Rashid,Hales malan would get into England first xi.

 

[MenInG]

Moeen been excellent today - not letting go of the momentum at all.

Pakistan in trouble vs Moeen

 

[Rana]

Well if Moeen the Mediocre is captaining England then it is automatically a second-string side.

He is extremely lucky to have a white ball career for England after he was on a one man mission to derail England’s 2019 World Cup campaign and had to be kicked out of the playing XI for England to get their tournament back on track.

Know your role

And

 

[topspin]

Wonderful half century. Unbeaten 55 off 23 balls.

 

[Kroll]

His inns was effortless, in fact whole England's inns was in cruise control.

That said, c'mon Pakistan!

 

[Bewal Express]

I don't rate Moeen the cricketer but as captain he's always impressed in the NatWest T20 and 100 so no surprises with him excelling as skipper as yesterday.

Babar Azam on the other hand is so trash. Even worse than Sarfraz and is close to Misbah's level.

If he was a solid player, I think he would have been appointed permanent captain for England by now.

Moeen is an excellent cricketer and has underachieved relative to his talent. He has helped England beat Ind twice at home.

 

[Bewal Express]

It is a second-string side, and England could pick their Lions squad and they would probably rinse Pakistan’s first team.

The lack of talent in Pakistan is pure comedy, but the arrogance and delusion of the fans are only increasing.

Which fans are you talking about. Stop writing this nonsense to make some point that are desperate to make.

 

[Mamoon]

Know your role

And

That’s what Morgan said to Moeen when he booted him out of the playing XI in the 2019 World Cup to get England’s campaign on track.

Legacy of Mooen in international cricket: single-handedly (almost) destroyed England’s chances in the 2019 World Cup and got pounded in Australian Ashes twice.

Nevertheless, happy to see him get a chance to captain England against a small team like Pakistan and have his fans something to cheer about.

 

[Bilal7]

Another example of Moeen's class. Brought Babbar Sher back in form and ensured more money goes to the flood relief.

 

[Mamoon]

What pathetic captaincy.

Allowed two non-aggressive batsmen to canter to a 200 target without breaking sweat, and his delusional fans wanted him to become full-time captain.

)

 

[Forum363]

What pathetic captaincy.

Allowed two non-aggressive batsmen to canter to a 200 target without breaking sweat, and his delusional fans wanted him to become full-time captain.

)

Like butler or Morgan as captain would have changed things tonight ��

 

[Bewal Express]

That’s what Morgan said to Moeen when he booted him out of the playing XI in the 2019 World Cup to get England’s campaign on track.

Legacy of Mooen in international cricket: single-handedly (almost) destroyed England’s chances in the 2019 World Cup and got pounded in Australian Ashes twice.

Nevertheless, happy to see him get a chance to captain England against a small team like Pakistan and have his fans something to cheer about.

2 series wins over Ind on English wickets with no spin. Suck it up

 

[Forum363]

That’s what Morgan said to Moeen when he booted him out of the playing XI in the 2019 World Cup to get England’s campaign on track.

Legacy of Mooen in international cricket: single-handedly (almost) destroyed England’s chances in the 2019 World Cup and got pounded in Australian Ashes twice.

Nevertheless, happy to see him get a chance to captain England against a small team like Pakistan and have his fans something to cheer about.

Aparently only the 2019 World Cup matters because England won due to some fluke overthrows, a superhuman effort from Stokes and a stupid boundary count rule. It automatically makes Archer the best bower in the world LOLLL and Moeen rubbish.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Is England competing with India for the title of the most trundling attack?

 

[MenInG]

England captain Moeen Ali said his one over of off-spin bowling against Pakistan was a “gamble” that did not pay off after the visitors lost the second Twenty20 International in Karachi on Thursday.

Chasing 200 for victory, Pakistan were 104 for no loss in the 13th over when Moeen brought himself on and conceded 21 runs, including three sixes.

Pakistan seized the momentum and went on to win by 10 wickets, with skipper Babar Azam hitting a brilliant century.

“The momentum changed when I bowled my over. That really gave them the belief and after that they were almost unstoppable,” Moeen said.

“I felt like it was under control for most of it. I genuinely feel my over lost the game for us. That was a gamble on my part.

“I went to try and get a wicket, almost buy a wicket. Obviously it didn’t work and that’s when Pakistan really won the game.

Reuters

 

[Robert]

It's great to see Moeen leading England. He's always been a good captain and this will be inspiring for young Muslims and British Asians after the ECB's previous treatment of minorities.

Hear hear!

The bowling is looking a bit weak at present though.

 

[Bilal7]

Hear hear!

The bowling is looking a bit weak at present though.

Spoke too soon I think. Topley and Wood are seriously good.

Another piece of genius captaincy from Moeen by having the man in the same spot that Babar got a boundary from in the last game.

 

[Mamoon]

This Pakistan team is a joke. England should win this series 7-0 and it was only Moeen's pathetic captaincy that gifted Pakistan the last match.

 

[MenInG]

Moeen: We are a better team than that

England captain Moeen Ali...

"We are disappointed we didn't chase the runs. We are a better team than that but we got strangled in the middle by their spinners and we couldn't really get going."

 

[James]

We need to bring Buttler back in. The top order batters are failing too often without him there. Buttler and Hales to open in the next game. Not sure about Malan at 3 either, he played a very ugly innings today.

 

[Forum363]

We need to bring Buttler back in. The top order batters are failing too often without him there. Buttler and Hales to open in the next game. Not sure about Malan at 3 either, he played a very ugly innings today.

This was an experimental series and a lot of lessons were learnt. Brook is a must in the middle order, mooen is great but the other ‘all rounders’ just aren’t good enough with the bat.

 

[Fenrir]

This series is good for both sides to find out where their players stand.Haider and Shan have disappointed a lot of people.Chacha Ifti,Asif and Khushdil are not international standard.Brooks and Wood have been excellent.The all rounders have not performed for England.Quite a few key players are not playing so England doesn’t need to worry.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Not quite second string but not the first choice either.

Buttler
Stokes
Livingston

And for some reason Chris Jordan will all slot back into this side.

They are very much the anti Pakistan in that the batting is excellent but the bowling is just passable.

Wood is exceptional but can he play all games in the WC?

 

[Rana]

Not quite second string but not the first choice either.

Buttler
Stokes
Livingston

And for some reason Chris Jordan will all slot back into this side.

They are very much the anti Pakistan in that the batting is excellent but the bowling is just passable.

Wood is exceptional but can he play all games in the WC?

The reason why wood is dominating us is because our best players of express pace are not in the side

I can gaurentee you, Fakhar and Sharjeel Khan will be so much better against Wood in comparison to Babar, Rizwan, Shan Masood ( ) Haider Ali and Iftikhar

These two lads would love his extra pace and slight width to the left hander.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

The reason why wood is dominating us is because our best players of express pace are not in the side

I can gaurentee you, Fakhar and Sharjeel Khan will be so much better against Wood in comparison to Babar, Rizwan, Shan Masood ( ) Haider Ali and Iftikhar

These two lads would love his extra pace and slight width to the left hander.

He is a top class express bowler. I have watched his career closely and he is a genuine threat across all formats. Need to give him a lot of credit for how he has bowled in the two games especially after coming back into the side.

Only way Sharjeel could dominate him would be in a pie eating contest ( no matter how many times you want to revisit a random innings he played from 8 years ago).

Fakhar could take him on, but not in Pak. Perhaps in Australia.

But sometimes you just have to accept that good bowlers will be difficult to play.

 

[Farabi]

Not quite second string but not the first choice either.

Buttler
Stokes
Livingston

And for some reason Chris Jordan will all slot back into this side.

They are very much the anti Pakistan in that the batting is excellent but the bowling is just passable.

Wood is exceptional but can he play all games in the WC?

Chris Jordan had a good summer but he’s been found out on these pitches in PSL.

Both missing 3ish players. Pak also missing Shaheen, Naseem, and Fakhar due to injuries.

 

[msb314]

This Pakistan team is a joke. England should win this series 7-0 and it was only Moeen's pathetic captaincy that gifted Pakistan the last match.

We are leading 3-2 now

 

[The lone Ranger]

Chris Jordan had a good summer but he’s been found out on these pitches in PSL.

Both missing 3ish players. Pak also missing Shaheen, Naseem, and Fakhar due to injuries.

Only Shaheen is missed. Naseem would have weakened the bowling attack that has already been doing exceptionally well. Fakhar can't do zilch against mark wood.

On the other hand England is missing out their top 3 main batters who would strengthen their batting.

 

[Farabi]

Only Shaheen is missed. Naseem would have weakened the bowling attack that has already been doing exceptionally well. Fakhar can't do zilch against mark wood.

On the other hand England is missing out their top 3 main batters who would strengthen their batting.

Fakhar couldn’t do worse than this middle order lol. Naseem was Pak’s highest wicket taker after Nawaz in Asia cup (15 SR, Econ 7.6). So I am not sure what you’re talking about…

On the other hand, Butler and Livingstone only ones missing really. Stokes hasn’t had a convincing T20 career much like Fakhar.

 

[MenInG]

Moeen: England batting was disappointing

Moeen Ali branded England's T20 batting a disappointment after they saw a second chase against Pakistan go off the rails in the space of four days.

Having failed to make 167 in Karachi on Sunday, the tourists lost track of an even slimmer target as they were unable to make 146 at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.

Moeen did his best to drag the result back with a captain's innings of 51 not out in 37 balls but he lost a last-over battle of wills with debutant seamer Aamer Jamal, who secured a five-run win for his side.

Phil Salt, Alex Hales, Ben Duckett and Harry Brook made just 18 between them as the top six imploded, while Dawid Malan contributed a scratchy 36. Their efforts left Moeen frustrated by a lack of game awareness.

"Of all the games so far, this was the most disappointing, the way we batted in particular," Ali said.

"Obviously I'm disappointed we didn't chase those runs. I feel we're a better team than that. You have to see the situation of the game, and the conditions. All we needed was one partnership, a 60-70 run partnership would have won the game.

SKY

 

[Mamoon]

England are 3-2 down against a pathetic team. Embarrassing captaincy by Moeen and embarrassing batting by the top-order.

Salt and Malan are not good enough and Hales is not justifying his recall. He is not playing with freedom and seems concerned about his place in the side.

An ODI/T20 series against Pakistan means absolutely nothing to the top sides anymore, they just see it as match practice which is why you would struggle to recall the last time any top side played it’s full-strength team against Pakistan.

It is only Pakistani fans who celebrate such wins as winning a trophy and give importance to the result. This mentality has crept into the players as well because deep down they know that Pakistan is a borderline minnow team.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&#55357;&#56803;️ "They've just been a little bit headless." <br><br>Nasser Hussain believes England needed to show more composure in their run chase against Pakistan in the fifth T20 of their series. <a href="https://t.co/c2oA1HdvZ9">pic.twitter.com/c2oA1HdvZ9</a></p>— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkyCricket/status/1575405786024509440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

England are 3-2 down against a pathetic team. Embarrassing captaincy by Moeen and embarrassing batting by the top-order.

Salt and Malan are not good enough and Hales is not justifying his recall. He is not playing with freedom and seems concerned about his place in the side.

An ODI/T20 series against Pakistan means absolutely nothing to the top sides anymore, they just see it as match practice which is why you would struggle to recall the last time any top side played it’s full-strength team against Pakistan.

It is only Pakistani fans who celebrate such wins as winning a trophy and give importance to the result. This mentality has crept into the players as well because deep down they know that Pakistan is a borderline minnow team.

stay on topic. Thread is about England. No need to keep on repeating the same thing in each thread

 

[MenInG]

Moeen: Let's put the game out of reach

England captain Moeen Ali...

"We obviously would have bowled but we want to put the game out of reach with the bat. We have played really good cricket in this series."

 

[The Bald Eagle]

He hit three monstrous sixes for England but in the end all in vain for England against Australia

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