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Pakistan vs England, 4th ODI at Dubai: Likely XI for the hosts

Pakistan are likely to go with a settled team in the fourth and final ODI against England to level the series at 2-2.

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After losing the third One-Day International (ODI) at Sharjah, Pakistan will want to head into the fourth and the final fourthODI all regrouped and focused in order to level the series. The four-match ODI series is currently tilted in favour of England, who won the second and third ODIs to take a 2-1 lead. A win in the final ODI will also give psychological advantage going into the Twenty20 series to Pakistan. The fourthODI against England will take place at Dubai International Stadium (DSC) in Dubai, and Pakistan will have fond memories of the stadium winning the second Test against England in emphatic manner. LIVE SCORECARD: Pakistan vs England, 4th ODI match 

In the third ODI it was the middle-order collapse and the inability of Pakistani batsmen to score big, which lead them down. At one stage Pakistan were 132 for 2 with more than 20 overs remaining but they lost the plot. Another big factor contributing to the loss was the calling between wickets, because as many as three run outs hampered Pakistan’s chances of getting to an above par score on a pitch which was slow and hardly had any spin to offer.

Pakistan will be aware of their ordinary record in ODI cricket in the UAE, but winning the fourth ODI and drawing the series against England will make it look bit better.

Top Order: Captain Azhar Ali looked good for his 36, before getting run out to an unachievable single to the call of Mohammad Hafeez. Azhar after having an ordinary  series so far will want to cap off the series with a good performance with the bat.  . Babar Azam had started the series witha bang making a quick fire 62 in the first ODI, getting Pakistan to victory, will want to repeat his performance. It must be noted that  Babar came in to bat at No. 6. Hafeez has had a mixed series so far making a century and missing out on big runs after getting starts. Hafeez has been the highest run scorer for Pakistan in the series so far with 147 runs from three matches. ALSO READ: Waqar Younis draws criticism from Javed Miandad after Pakistan vs England 2015, 3rd ODI loss

Middle Order: Shoaib Malik, after retiring from Tests, will look to put in all his skills and hard work into ODI format. He has been in good form and the fourth ODI will be a perfect stage for him to show his talent. Malik so far has had a very poor series. Sarfraz Ahmed has looked the most comfortable and at ease batsman for Pakistan in the series. Sarfraz made a valiant 63 in losing cause in the second ODI. With the untimely retirement of Younis Khan the middle-order has looked fragile but Pakistan team has bestowed its faith in Mohammad Rizwan, who is yet to prove his worth. Rizwan will want to make an impact in winning cause for the team. ALSO READ: Shoaib Malik joins Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Waugh among others in all-round record

Lower Order: Anwar Ali is most likely to keep his place in the team as the all-rounder spot. Anwar’s batting skills puts him ahead of others. If Yasir Shah is fit, he is a surety in the playing XI as the match will take place in Dubai where he spun Pakistan to a victory in the Tests. Iftikar Ahmed will keep his place if Yasir if does not play.  Zafar Gohar, after picking two wickets in the previous match, will in all likelihood keep his place in the team as Dubai is known to favor spin bowlers. In the pace department it comes to no surprise that Mohammad Irfan and Wahab Riaz will spearhead the attack. Irfan is the highest wicket taker for Pakistan so far and Wahab has supported him well to keep it a lid on English batsmen.

Pakistan likely XI for the fourth ODI against England (in batting order): Azhar Ali (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Mohammad Rizwan, Anwar Ali, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah/ Iftikar Ahmed, Zafar Gohar, Mohammad Irfan.

 

(Vishal Mehra is a reporter at CricketCountry, who enjoys his weekly dose of anime as refreshment and plays cricket once a white moon. His twitter handle is @vishal_oxyjinn.)

 

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