Pakistan vs. England - 3rd ODI

[Zainub]

I'm starting a thread in advance for the 3rd ODI game in Karachi.

The players will land here tomorrow. And the pitch will be pretty flat. Afridi is going to come back for Pakistan, and KP is out, not just for this game, but for the whole series. He'll be fine for India. Cricinfo story here.

Please use this thread to discuss anything related to the match.

[Ernest]

Yes well England are known for playing injured players in one dayers so I am glad he is going home.

I think this match is to close to call, England have shown they can fire hard, just a matter of if they do.
Is Afridi back?, he like Flintoff batting could be the difference.

[Victor Frankenstein]

I can't see England winning, even if we win the toss, Pakistan are just a much better side than us, especially at home. Our side isn't completely hopeless and on paper we should be able to put up a fight, but odi's are all about adapting to the conditions quickly, and England haven't really shown any sign of adapting to Pakistani conditions all tour, we have our moments here and there but overall we've failed to adapt and odi's are not our strong point. If we win then i feel it will be more because Pakistan threw it away rather than us winning it, and so far Pakistan haven't looked like throwing anything away. We're also now without Pietersen, who is a strong odi player and most importantly he scores quickly, allowing the other batsman to take his time, in Pakistan you have to post a 280+ score to be in with a realistic chance.

[Shaka]

In one way, it's maybe not a bad thing that Pieterson is returning home, in that his replacement, Bell, is more likely to hang around and build an innings. The problem is, it's the likes of Pieterson and Flintoff who can take England to a score of 300 which is where the Pak batting line up starts to feel the pressure. With Pieterson going home, and Afridi returning, it does look difficult for England, but if Trescothick and Strauss can see off the opening spell from Shoaib and Rana it would improve their chances considerably.

Even so, it's hard to see beyond a Pakistan win. England's bowlers look at a loss on how to get wickets out there, and if Kamran Akmal can perform a half decent job as a makeshift opener, the prospect of Yousuf, Inzimam, Malik, Afridi and Razzaq to come in at no 4, 5, 6 and 7 isn't one the England attack will relish.

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

I think we'll get wickets, I also think we can restrict runs to a certian extent, but cant for the life of me see us scoring enough.

[Occasional Fan]

Someone suggested on the board yesterday that Pietersen had been injured during yesterday's game. However, this morning the papers are talking about an old injury. What is the point of sending out injured players to stand in front of a bunch of hostile guys who are bowling a hard ball at him? This is just bonkers, IMO. If he's injured, get him out of the way and keep him out of the way until he's mended. It seems pretty obvious to me, but apparently it isn't.

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Shaka

In one way, it's maybe not a bad thing that Pieterson is returning home, in that his replacement, Bell, is more likely to hang around and build an innings.

I'm assuming that Solanki is now, at last, going to take his rightful place in the starting XI: I certainly think he should do... and if Bell was taking Prior's place in the XII named players I'd also add him into the starting XI:

1. Prior
2. Tresco
3. Solanki
4. Strauss
5. Bell
6. Collingwood
7. Flintoff
8. Jones
9. Plunkett
10. Harmison
11. Anderson

I'm not suggesting that Blackwell should be dropped.. far from it... I just think he's easily left out for the first 25 overs of any match... at which point he can be substituted on for whoever (batsman or bowler) looks most expendable.

Originally Posted by Shaka

if Kamran Akmal can perform a half decent job as a makeshift opener, the prospect of Yousuf, Inzimam, Malik, Afridi and Razzaq to come in at no 4, 5, 6 and 7 isn't one the England attack will relish.

I was hoping Afridi would return as a pinch hitter and that KAmran Akmal would be allowed to return down the order... perhaps taking Shoaib malik's spot int he batting order whilst Shoaib moves to "supersub" (same principle as with England: he's useful... but shouldn't b needed until after the tone of the first innigns has been set... and could come on for either a batsman OR a bowler as the situation demanded.

[Shaka]

Not always as straightforward as that OF. Sometimes an old injury can be set off by getting out of bed the wrong side. there's talk of back spasms, and I've been there. Everything can have been great for a couple of years but then something happens and it's back with a vengeance. What i would say is that as soon as there was any discomfort, Pieterson should have been withdrawn immediately. It seems incredible that he was batting in pain, then spent a full day in the field as well.

[Mongoose]

Originally Posted by Occasional Fan

this morning the papers are talking about an old injury. What is the point of sending out injured players

We tried that in Aus in 2002-3. I thought the lessons had been learned. Whatever criticism he has had, KP will be a big loss. He's been one of the stars of the ODI side over the last 12 months. I don't think Bell has the right game to replace him - he gets bogged down too easily. We need another crafty nudger a la Collingwood/Thorpe/Fairbrother.

[Occasional Fan]

I'd say your XI is as good as it gets, Rachael, with Blackwell as the super-sub if you insist on having one (and I suppose we should while the opponents are allowed to!). Let's see what happens on Thursday.