Pak vs Eng: Rain forces cancellation of first T20I

Rain played spoilsport on Wednesday as the first T20I between England and Pakistan in Leeds at the Headingley Cricket Ground was called off, with the pitch being covered with water.

Not a single ball could be bowled due to the never-ending rain, which made it impossible for the match to start. The rain continued since the morning and didn’t stop all day.

The match was supposed to start at 6:30pm local time but it couldn’t happen as the clouds continued to pour rain. The series remains 0-0 and all eyes will be on Edgbaston where the second T20I will be played.

It must be noted that this series will be the last outing for both sides before the T20 World Cup 2024 which begins on June 1. Pakistan will play all of their group matches in the United States while England will travel to the West Indies to compete in their round matches.

Pakistan recently played two T20I series, one against an inexperienced New Zealand side at home while the other was against Ireland in Dublin recently. They were Babar Azam’s first tests after being reappointed as white-ball captain.

The Green Shirts drew the T20I series against New Zealand 2-2 at home as one match was called off due to rain. Meanwhile, they managed to beat Ireland 2-1. However, despite winning the later series, the problems were quite evident for the Men in Green which they have to sort out before the World Cup begins.

On the other hand, England’s last T20 series was against West Indies in January this year which they lost 3-2.

Squads

England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan

Remaining matches

• May 25: Second T20I at Birmingham
• May 28: Third T20I at Cardiff
• May 30: Fourth T20I at The Oval