New Delhi: The formidable and more importantly, the unbeaten England side aim to roll on their juggernaut when they face unpredictable Pakistan to march into the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final, in Cardiff, today. (England vs Pakistan - Live Blog)
If there has been one team that has truly charged like a title favourite, it has been the host nation, England. So much so that even their old rivals from down under failed to knock down Eoin Morgan's men. Having swept aside all the three teams in their Group A, the English side stormed into the semi-final stage with six points and dominating every aspect of the game.
So where do the plus points lie for England? Apart from Jason Roy, all other batsmen on the list have been at their best. Opener Alex Hales, followed by Joe Root, skipper Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler, and off-course Ben Stokes all have formed a formidable batting line-up that even the much-boasted about Aussie pace quatret couldn't rip through. However, news from the dressing room is that Jason Roy might get replaced by Jonny Bairstow.
Even their bowling line-up looks quite good – Mark Wood with his myriad variations muddling the batsman at the crease and Liam Plunkett's shorter deliveries along side Jake Ball roaring into form. And through the middle overs come deceptive googlies from Adil Rashid and a few off-spins from Moeen Ali.
As for the Pakistani side, they have simply been unpredictable throughout their group stage. Crumbling down to the defending champions by 124 runs, Sarfraz Ahmed-led side drew much attention with their poor display of the game. However, they roared back to stun World no.1 South Africa by 19 runs in a rain-truncated tie. This was followed by a thrilling three-wickets victory over Asian rivals Sri Lanka, in what was called a virtual quarter-final.
Well, from both their last matches, one fact that has been clear is their bowling prowess. The side that boasts of the likes of pacers Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan, Hassan Ali along with spinner Imad Wasim, has been truly phenomenal as in both matches they were successful in reducing their opponents well below the 250-run mark. In fact, some of the deliveries from Amir and Junaid were simply unplayable.
Thus heading into the crucial encounter, Sarfraz would definitely be aiming for a top-order English upset banking on his formidable bowling line-up, which could prove quite vital for the Pakistani side. However, concern hovers over the batting side. Apart from Fakhar Zaman and the skipper none have hinted the slighest of spark that would prove lethal for the host nation. Shoaib Malik and Mohammed Hafeez need to come forth with all their experience to put up a good total.
As per stats, England have the edge over the green jersey having defeated them six times in their ten encounters in ICC tournaments.
Squads:
England: Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(wk), Moeen Ali, Steven Finn, Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood, Jake Ball, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Adil Rashid, David Willey
Pakistan: Sarfraz Khan (c and wk), Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Junaid Khan, Mohammed Amir, Mohammed Hafeez, Shadab Khan and Shoaib Malik.
When is the ICC Champions Trophy match between England and Pakistan?
The ICC Champions Trophy match between England and Pakistan is on Wednesday, June 14.
At what time will the live coverage of the ICC Champions Trophy match between England and Pakistan start?
The live coverage of ICC Champions Trophy match between England and Pakistan will start at 3:00 pm IST.
Where will the ICC Champions Trophy match between England and Pakistan match be played?
The ICC Champions Trophy match between England and Pakistan match will be played at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Which are the TV channels that will do a live telecast of the ICC Champions Trophy match between England and Pakistan?
Star Sports 1, Star Sports HD 1 and Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD 1 are the channels that will do a live telecast of the ICC Champions Trophy match between England and Pakistan.
Where can one watch the live streaming of the ICC Champions Trophy match between England and Pakistan?
One can watch the live streaming on Hotstar. For live scores, updates, and analysis, you can follow zeenews.india.com/cricket.
