England embark on the rarity of a three-match Twenty20 series aiming to replicate the no-fear cricket that has revitalised them in the one-day game.
So seldom do leading countries play short-form cricket outside World Twenty20 tournaments that England have played just four matches since the humiliation of defeat by the Netherlands in Bangladesh 20 months ago.
Three matches in five days against Pakistan will provide England with an indication of their chances in the next World Cup that takes place in similar conditions to the United Arab Emirates in India next March.
England will approach these games in the same spirit that has seen them recover from the misery of the 50-over World Cup earlier this year to become a young, vibrant force in the longer form of limited-overs cricket.
‘We’ve never taken a backwards step since we came together as a squad and as long as that continues and we learn along the way it will hold us in good stead for the Twenty20 World Cup,’ said captain Eoin Morgan ahead of the first of back-to-back matches in Dubai.
‘We don’t know what our boundaries are at the moment so it’s important to keep pushing them as far as we can. I’m really excited about this squad and, as I’ve been saying in one-day cricket, I think we have a lot more to offer.’
James Vince, the latest in a long line of exciting talents in the English game awaiting chances at the highest level, looks sure to make his Twenty20 international debut tonight against a Pakistan side captained by Shahid Afridi.
Vince, now 24, has long been considered a batsman of immense potential with a style similar to Michael Vaughan’s but has been restricted to a solitary one-day international until now.
Now he will have a chance to press his claims for a place in the squad to travel to India, with Morgan keen to experiment against the team ranked No 2 in the world Twenty20 rankings, a surprising six places higher than England.
‘It’s no good taking a squad of players if you don’t expect them to play and this is an opportunity to see a bit of guys we haven’t seen much of before,’ said Morgan.
Pakistan (probable): S Afridi (capt), M Hafeez, R Mohmand, A Shehzad, S Malik, U Akmal, S Ahmed (wkt), A Yamin, A Ali, W Riaz, S Tanvir.
England (probable): Hales, Roy, Root, Morgan (capt), Vince, Buttler (wkt), Ali, Woakes, Rashid, Willey, Topley.– Daily Mail