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Pakistan vs England, 4th ODI: Likely XI for Azhar Ali’s men as they play for pride

England have taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series, but Pakistan will want to end the ODI series on a high.

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Azhar Ali will want to lead from the front to help Pakistan get off the mark in the ODI series © Getty Images
Azhar Ali will want to lead from the front to help Pakistan get off the mark in the ODI series © Getty Images

Pakistan have lost the One-Day International (ODI) series against England, but have two more matches to play in the series. Whatever little chances they had of winning the series, vanished after England handed them a whooping 169-run loss at Trent Bridge. England have been clinical in the series so far and have not given Pakistan any chance of bouncing back. Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali has taken a lot of stick in the last week, with many even calling for his axing as Pakistan skipper. He will be under a lot of pressure in this match, not only to lead, but also to perform. A win in the final two ODIs is what Pakistan will be looking, beginning with this match at Leeds. Full Cricket Scorecard: Pakistan vs England, 4th ODI at Headingley

Pakistan were awful in the third ODI, where they misfielded many, dropped a few catches and their batsmen failed to score on a batting paradise. Overall, in the fourth ODI, they would like to move on after whatever has happened.They would certainly want to improve. Let us have a look at the likely XI for Pakistan for the fourth ODI.

Top-order: After yet another excellent innings, Sharjeel Khan is certain to retain his place in the side, although the spot for his opening partner is up for grabs. Pakistan gave Sami Aslam a chance in the second and third ODI, but he disappointed, returning with scores of 1 and 8 respectively. Skipper Azhar opened in the first match and scored a useful fifty, but in vain. Returning to the opening slot and scoring valuable runs might be the best way to silence his critics. If that happens, Sami Aslam will drop down to No. 3. The absence of veteran Mohammad Hafeez is certainly a big blow, but Pakistan will have to deal with it and ensure they do not get bogged down by this. Perhaps a struggling Hafeez’ absence might be a blessing in disguise. READ: Javed Miandad criticises Azhar Ali after ODI series defeat

Middle-order:  Babar Azam has gotten off to good starts in a couple of games, but has failed to convert them into big scores – scores that would take Pakistan from an average position to a match-winning position.  He certainly has the potential, but is yet to showcase it in this series. With wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed at No .5 and the widely experienced Shoaib Malik at No. 6, the middle-order looks quite solid. Sarfraz scored a magnificent hundred in the second ODI, after Pakistan were reduced to 3 for 2 in the fourth over. Sarfraz’s century took Pakistan to a competitive 251. Given England’s strong batting-order, they managed to chase it down quite easily. Malik has not had a huge impact in the series yet, but may turn it around in the remaining two matches. His occasional off-spinners too could come in handy at some point in the game. They are yet to give a game to young Mohammad Rizwan. Throwing him in the mix will not be the worst of ideas.

All-rounders/bowlers:  Mohammad Nawaz was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan in the precious match. He went for just over six runs an over, when his teammates were being hammered left, right and centre. He is also a handy batsman low down the order and should hang on to his place in the side. There will be a toss-up between Yasir Shah and Imad Wasim for this match. Imad, also a handy bat, could give Pakistan’s batting line-up the much-needed depth. Looking at the way Yasir bowled in the last two ODIs, he certainly does not warrant a place in the playing XI, which will pave way for Imad to take his place. READ: PAK vs ENG 2016, 3rd ODI at Trent Bridge: Twitter reactions

In Hasan Ali, Pakistan have an extremely clever bowler. He can crank up the pace and also bowl good change-of-pace deliveries when needed. He showed that in the final over of the third ODI, where he bowled cleverly disguised slower deliveries to the batsmen, giving away just six runs in the process. He also managed to pick up two out of the three wickets to fall and gave away just 74 in his 10 overs. He should be a certainty in the team. But someone, who should not be part of the team for the fourth ODI is Wahab Riaz. One of Pakistan’s most experienced players on this tour was belted for 110 runs off his 10 overs in the previous match, which happens to be second worst bowling figures in ODIs. With Mohammad Irfan coming in for Hafeez, he should replace Wahab in the side. Irfan was initially, not part of the squad, but with his height, he can get extra bounce on the wickets, which is sure to trouble the English batsmen, which not many fast bowers have managed to do.

The hard working Mohammad Aamer has managed to pick up just one wicket in three games so far. He slammed a record-breaking 58, coming in at No. 11 in the previous match. While that was a terrific innings, that is not his primary role in the team. He will be entrusted to pick up early wickets, which Pakistan have not been too successful in doing, so far. Full updates, PAK Vs ENG, 3rd ODI

After a competitive Test series, one would have expected Pakistan to put up good show in the limited-overs fixture as well, but that has not happened so far. Pakistan’s ODI team is completely different from the Test side as two of their senior members Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan do not play the shorter formats. Pakistan have nothing, but pride to play for in the remaining two matches and will be keen to take something from the ODI series. Each and everyone in the squad will have to step up their game just a notch in all the departments. England have transformed into a world class ODI team and have not been beaten in ODIs this summer so far. Pakistan have an opportunity to do that.

Pakistan’s likely XI for fourth ODI vs England: Sharjeel Khan, Azhar Ali (c), Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Aamer

(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry.com. He is a sport enthusiast and a keen observer of cricket, the contests, and its personalities. When not tracking cricket, he follows the world’s soccer leagues and is somewhat partial towards Liverpool. His Twitter handle is @pramz)

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