Preview
By Graham Hardcastle
How England have progressed since the last World Cup!
With their swashbuckling style, they have almost single-handedly made one-day cricket in vogue again after the game gave way to T20 for a while.
This weekend’s ODI at Emerald Headingley will, fingers crossed, provide more excitement and confirmation, if it’s really needed, that Eoin Morgan’s men are favourites to win the World Cup, which starts in a fortnight.
But make no mistake, Pakistan are contenders too. They certainly don’t die wondering with their style of cricket, be it with bat or ball.
Opening batsman Fakhar Zaman could be worth the entrance fee alone, while new ball quick Hassan Ali is box office.
There have been some cracking international games at Emerald Headingley in recent years, and this has the makings of another.
Let’s hope it is the start of rich entertainment to come this summer. And let’s hope it is a Yorkshire star who puts in the winning performance for England.
Team news
England
England have a 17-man squad to pick from for this series, as they look to finalise a 15 for the ICC Cricket World Cup starting later this month. The main talking point to date has been around the selection of seam bowlers, with Sussex quick Jofra Archer well and truly in the mix.
17-man squad: Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
