[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Reports that Jason Roy will finally be dropped from the England starting XI for tomorrow's semi-final. A good idea to have given him so many chances before pulling the trigger, or a bad idea to have left it till such a crucial time?

[Lord Snooty]

Silly. He's a class player on a bad run. Daft dropping him at this stage.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

I don't dispute the class, but it's been a long, long bad run at both domestic and international level. Bairstow's been pretty rock-solid this season in contrast, and he must have been sat on the sidelines wondering what it would take to get a game.

That said, I think the change should have been made for the Aus game rather than this one.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Semi-Final

England vs Pakistan

Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

ENGLAND squad: Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Jake Ball, Sam Billings (wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan (capt), Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

PAKISTAN squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Mohammed Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman, Fahim Ashraf, Mohammed Amir, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan


After sending the old enemy packing on Saturday without completing a single game, England are now just two matches from their first global fifty-over trophy.  However, in order to book their place in Sunday's final at the Oval, they'll need to see off a mercurial Pakistan side in Cardiff.

If the visitors have an advantage at all, it's that they relish playing in South Wales (their only win over England in last year's series came at Sophia Gardens), and they'll be playing on the same pitch that was used in their victory over Sri Lanka on Monday, whose quirks and demons they know well.  Their seamers wreaked havoc in the middle overs of that game, coaxing swing from the ball that would have done Imran Khan and Wasim Akram proud, and they'll look to do the same tomorrow.

For the home side, who are rumoured to be dropping out-of-form opener Jason Roy in favour of Johnny Bairstow, there'll be a carefully considered tactical approach.  At this tournament Pakistan have shown themselves to be a team that picks the gaps and hunts for boundaries (led from the front by the aggressive young opener Fakhar Zaman), and often eschews running ones and twos, especially as you get down to the middle-order.  Ramp up the pressure with dot balls, Pakistan will begin to take risks, and wickets will fall.

This has been a tournament where the underdogs have often prevailed against the odds, so the visitors certainly can't be written off.  But England go into this with the strength and wisdom accumulated from two good years of ODI cricket, and they have to back themselves to make it to the Oval this weekend.

Records

PAKISTAN

All-time highest ODI score: 385-7 vs Bangladesh at Dambulla, 21st June 2010
All-time highest successful ODI chase: 329-7 vs Bangladesh at Dhaka, 4th March 2014
Highest ODI score vs England: 353-6 at Karachi, 15th December 2005
Highest ODI score vs England on English soil: 304-6 at Cardiff, 4th September 2016
All-time highest individual ODI innings: Saeed Anwar, 194 vs India at Chennai, 21st May 1997
Highest individual ODI innings vs England: Ijaz Ahmed, 137 at Sharjah, 7th April 1999
Highest individual ODI innings vs England on English soil: Javed Miandad, 113 at the Oval, 21st May 1987


ENGLAND

All-time highest ODI score: 444-3 vs Pakistan at Trent Bridge, 30th August 2016
All-time highest successful ODI chase: 350-3 vs New Zealand at Trent Bridge, 17th June 2015
Highest ODI score vs Pakistan: 444-3 at Trent Bridge, 30th August 2016
Highest ODI score vs Pakistan on English soil: 444-3 at Trent Bridge, 30th August 2016
All-time highest individual ODI innings: Alex Hales, 171 vs Pakistan at Trent Bridge, 30th August 2016
Highest individual ODI innings vs Pakistan: Alex Hales, 171 at Trent Bridge, 30th August 2016
Highest individual ODI innings vs Pakistan on English soil: Alex Hales, 171 at Trent Bridge, 30th August 2016

Play commences at 1030, 14th June 2017

[themaclad]

Being played on a worn wicket spin to the gore tomorrow

[Maddix]

Whose bright idea was it to play the RL Cup quarter finals during the ICC Trophy ?

Yorkshire have half their team on England duty

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Pakistan won the toss and put England in to bat. Hales gone, clipped a simple catch to cover. Hosts going well otherwise, Jonny Bairstow looking like the right choice. 52-1 after ten overs.

[Lord Snooty]

Out for 43 Bairstow. More than Roy's got all summer.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Pakistan bowling well, boundaries at a premium. England nice and patient, though. 300+ not impossible, but 270, 280 should be defendable on this pitch.

---

Shit, Root gone. Need Stokes and Morgan to put together another quality partnership now.

---

Now Morgan gone with an edge behind. England don't know whether to stick or twist. Every time they try and step on the accelerator they lose a wicket.

---

Jesus, now Buttler's nicked one behind. England in big, big trouble.

---

And now Moeen's holed out to Fakhar. We'll be lucky to make 200, here.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

England all out for 211 with a ball to spare. Best thing that can be said about that innings is that it's finally finished. Stokes out after 64 balls without a single boundary. England now need to be on fire in the field to stand a chance of reaching the final.