Let’s try that again: Wednesday’s first T20 international between England and Pakistan was called off entirely, but the outlook is much better today: there’s a chance of rain between 3-4pm (not for England), but the full match will almost certainly be played.
It means a mixture of excitement and anxiety for England fans, not just because of the result, but because Jofra Archer should be back in international cricket – his age of 29 is unnatural, as he has been frozen in time since that magical summer of 2019 – but he has already said his next setback could be his last.
The cancellation of the Headingley match effectively makes this the first of a three-match series, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it T20 World Cup prelude. It’s difficult to assess England’s chances. On the one hand, they are the favourites to win, and on the other, the squad includes several players who struggled in last year’s 50-over World Cup.
England have made several changes off the pitch, cleverly bringing in Kieron Pollard as a consultant, and also brought in psychologist David Young, who played a key role in England’s 2019 World Cup triumph, on loan from Manchester City.
“It’s great to have David back,” England manager Matthew Mott said. “He’s been in the team before and he’s already been a great ally messaging back to me and making sure my messages are clear. It’s always good to have someone a little further away from the team to make sure your message gets across.”
“In India, we all became a bit introverted and tried to solve our problems on our own. We decided as a group to be more open and more vulnerable in order to help each other. We feel it’s time to recharge, go out and really be ourselves as a team.”
The match will start at 2:30 p.m.toss is at 2pm.
