Pakistan vs. England, 2nd T20I: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

England could possibly secure their quickest-ever series victory on Friday, as they face Pakistan in the second Twenty20 International in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Having won the opener by 14 runs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, England return to the same venue 24 hours later hoping for a repeat result.

Pakistan, in contrast, know they have to win to force a winner-takes-all showdown at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE, on Monday.

They will rue missed chances in the first game. England were 19 for three at one stage but recovered to make 160. Pakistan never really got going in pursuit of a par score, finishing up 146 all out.

Date: Friday November 27, 2015

Time: 8 p.m. local (4 p.m. GMT, 11 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, it will be mainly clear and warm for the evening fixture. Temperatures are expected to be around 24 degrees Celsius.

Overview

Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Puzzling choices over selection are normally Pakistan's thing, but it was England who caught everyone by surprise with their XI for the opening Twenty20 game.

Joe Root and Jos Buttler, who had hit the fastest one-day century ever by an Englishman in the finale to the recent 50-over series, were both left out. It wasn't, however, just to give them a bit of a break.

David Willey and Chris Woakes—two seamers who can also contribute with the bat down the order—were also omitted. It wasn't, however, due to a lack of form.

Instead, with only five games scheduled before they travel to the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in India next March, England opted to take a look at other options.

It was a gamble, but one that paid off spectacularly.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Billings produced an innings out of the Buttler textbook, mixing cheeky flicks to fine leg with brutal hits over mid-wicket as he made 53 from just 25 deliveries.

Billings' late onslaught overshadowed the efforts of James Vince, who marked his T20 debut with a well-made 41 that helped dig England out of an early hole.

Liam Plunkett, meanwhile, made the most of a long overdue chance on the tour. The paceman, bowling quickly in conditions that hardly favoured seamers, picked up three for 21.

With left-arm spinner Stephen Parry also weighing in with two wickets, England's fresh faces gave the selectors plenty of food for thought.

STR/Associated Press

Pakistan, in contrast, would welcome such a selection headache in limited-overs cricket.

In the hope of finding a spark at the top of their batting order, they handed a debut on Thursday to a 39-year-old. Rafatullah Mohmand isn't the answer long term, though. He may not even be the correct choice right now either, judging by how he played.

Not even the presence of Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi sparked Pakistan's run chase.

They slumped to 100 for eight and only got anywhere near to England's score thanks to the lower order. Sohail Tanvir made an unbeaten 25, while Wahab Riaz and Anwar Ali made 21 and 20, respectively.

While in the Test format they have the calming presence of experienced duo Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq in their middle order, neither of the wise old heads are still around in limited-overs cricket.

Their bowling, though, does look as if it can bail the batters out. They had England rocking inside the first four overs, only to let them off the hook.

They cannot afford to be so generous if they find themselves in the same situation on Friday. Their opponents have their tails up, and it doesn't seem to make a difference whom they pick at the moment.

Key players

Pakistan

Sarfraz Ahmed has never been a regular for Pakistan in T20 cricket. The wicketkeeper-batsman made his debut in the format back in 2010, yet he has only appeared in a further eight games.

He has made 86 runs in his five innings, yet 76 of those came in one knock against New Zealand in Dubai.

The right-hander made just one on Thursday when opening the innings. It was a disappointing effort, yet the move to use him at the top of the order looks like a correct one.

Sarfraz has the ability to hit the ball in unusual places, and his unorthodox style could help Pakistan get off to a fast start.

England

Liam Plunkett must have started to think his time in the United Arab Emirates was only going to be spent carrying drinks and topping up his tan.

However, the Yorkshire bowler finally received a chance to play in the first T20, over nine years after his only other previous appearance for England in the format.

Bowling with good pace, Plunkett was impressive. According to ESPNCricinfo's David Hopps on Twitter, he averaged 89 mph in picking up three wickets.

More of the same on Friday and England may just think about revising their Test squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa, considering Plunkett was surprisingly left out of the initial party.

Squads

Pakistan

Shahid Afridi (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Rafatullah Mohmand, Shoaib Malik, Sohaib Maqsood, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfraz Ahmed, Anwar Ali, Bilal Asif, Imran Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Aamer Yamin.

England

Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Stephen Parry, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey, Chris Woakes.