LONDON – Pakistan’s opening one-day international against England was abandoned due to rain after 19 overs at The Oval on Wednesday.
Pakistan were 80 for 2 after 19 overs when the heavens opened up not for the first time during the course of the game and eventually, the match was abandoned.
Even before the match commenced, there was a spell of rain and as a result, it was reduced to a 47-over-per-side contest. After the rain relented, England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and sent Pakistan in to bat after early morning showers delayed the start and reduced the game to 47 overs per side.
Opener Imam-ul-Haq and Haris Sohail were at the crease when another rain delay further shortened the match, before it was eventually called off with the outfield too soggy for play to continue.
Earlier, England all-rounder Jofra Archer started with a superb maiden over to Ul-Haq, swinging the ball at sharp pace in bowler-friendly conditions.
It was not long before Archer got England a breakthrough as Fakhar Zaman was caught by Joe Root in the slips.
Barbados-born Archer is among a number of players who, despite being left out of England’s preliminary World Cup squad, remain hopeful of being picked as a late replacement for the tournament starting May 30.
The rain continued to play hide and seek for a few hours before the sun came out. However, by then, the outfield was quite muggy and the umpires decided to call off the game. The second ODI of the series will be played in Southampton on Saturday (May 11).
This series is taking place just a few weeks before the 50-over men’s World Cup gets underway, with tournament hosts England — the number one ranked side in ODI cricket — looking to win the tournament for the first time.
Squads
England: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Amir, Asif Ali
