Pakistan vs. England, 4th ODI: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview
Pakistan's equation is a simple one—win the fourth ODI against England or lose the series.
Back-to-back victories for England have pushed them into a 2-1 lead heading into the day-nighter at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates.
The tourists triumphed by six wickets on Tuesday, though they were helped out by a poor Pakistan batting display that saw three players run out and another four caught in the deep.
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Dubai has been a happy hunting ground for England in the past. They won twice at the venue in 2012, helping them seal a 4-0 sweep.
Date: Friday November 20, 2015
Time: 3 p.m. local (11 a.m. GMT, 6 a.m. ET)
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, UAE
Live Stream and TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), PTV (Pakistan), SuperSport (South Africa), Ten Sports (Bangladesh), NowTV (UK Streaming Service)
Weather: According to AccuWeather.com, there should be no concerns over the series finale being hampered by rain. Temperatures will peak in the afternoon at 30 degrees Celsius.
Overview
After a somewhat rusty display in the opener, Eoin Morgan's side have overwhelmed Pakistan in the last two games.
They have crucially found ways to take wickets, twice bowling Pakistan out inside the 50 overs.
That is an even more impressive achievement when you consider the spin pairing of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid—expected to be the major threat on low, dry pitches—have a combined haul of four wickets.
Chris Woakes has taken that many in each of his last two appearances, giving the selectors a timely nudge of his capabilities before they name the Test squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa.
As for the batting lineup, every member of England's top five has made at least a half-century in the series.
Jos Buttler, who comes in at six in the order, contributed an unbeaten 49 in the victory in Sharjah, UAE, on Tuesday, carrying his side over the line after they had slipped to 93 for four in pursuit of 209.
The wicketkeeper-batsman shared in an unbroken stand of 117 with James Taylor that had captain Morgan purring about the pair, per the England and Wales Cricket Board's official website:
"The partnership between Buttler and Taylor was exceptional. I think it epitomises our learning culture that we're trying to develop.
They showed great positive intent and when an opportunity presented itself to take options under pressure they did it.
I thought it was a big step forward on this tour for us.
"
Morgan is right to talk about the one-day team taking "a big step forward."
England's clarity of thought, particularly in terms of selection, has helped quickly turn things around in the 50-over format following a dismal Cricket World Cup campaign early in the year.
White-ball cricket is no longer an afterthought following on from a Test series. As director of cricket Andrew Strauss told Matt Somerford of the ECB website, "We’ve got to be much more dynamic than we have been in the past. We’ve got to put pressure more on the opposition than we have in the past."
Considering they have picked an unchanged XI throughout the series, don't expect the visitors to make any alterations for the finale.
Pakistan, however, may shuffle the deck again in the hope of finding a good hand.
Batting is clearly their weaker suit. At one stage in Sharjah, they were cruising at 92 for one, but kamikaze running between the wickets combined with rash shot selection saw them suddenly slip to 161 for eight.
They are still searching for the right formula in the top six, and this side is a work in progress.
Former captain Misbah-ul-Haq—a mainstay for so long in the middle order—retired from limited-overs cricket after this year's World Cup, while Younis Khan rather strangely called it a day after playing in the first match of the current series against England.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed was promoted to bat at four in the third ODI, and he could still yet go higher up the order.
Meanwhile, Ahmed Shehzad is an opening batsman waiting in the wings for a chance.
At least Pakistan's bowling unit is more settled. Left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar impressed on his international debut in Sharjah, as he was selected to replace the injured Yasir Shah.
Leg-spinner Yasir may return in Dubai, but it will not matter who is bowling if Pakistan don't find a way to put runs on the board.
Key Players
Pakistan
Captain Azhar Ali has had a difficult series with the bat so far.
The right-hander has mustered just 66 runs in three innings. He was run out for 36 in Sharjah after a shocking mix-up with team-mate Mohammad Hafeez.
Azhar, who averages 43.81 in the format, needs to come good for Pakistan at the final time of asking.
The 30-year-old is hardly a big hitter at the top of the order, but his side needs him to build some solid foundations up front to allow the rest to flourish.
England
James Taylor has been a success story for England during the tour of the United Arab Emirates.
The Nottinghamshire batsman marked his Test recall with 76 in the third match of the series, while he has now made two half-centuries in the ODI format against Pakistan.
He has settled in at five in the order, finding himself ensconced in between captain Morgan and the big-hitting Buttler.
However, Taylor can clear the rope just as well as anyone in the team. The right-hander has struck four sixes in the series—the same number as his county colleague Alex Hales.
Squads
Pakistan
Azhar Ali (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Anwar Ali, Aamer Yamin, Yasir Shah, Zafar Gohar, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan, Rahat Ali, Bilal Asif, Iftikhar Ahmed.
England
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, James Taylor, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes.
All statistics used in the preview are from ESPN Cricinfo.
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