Cardiff: Lewis Gregory Pakistan are getting a chance to use their ‘insider knowledge’ of cricket after being dealt a blow by England for the ongoing One Day International series.
A Covid outbreak within the England camp meant the squad originally selected for the three-match competition was forced to self-isolate, with head coach Chris Silverwood just days ahead of Thursday’s first ODI in Cardiff. The first was to assemble an entirely new 18-member party.
Yet despite the turmoil, 50-over world champions England still thrashed Pakistan by nine wickets, requiring only 67.1 from the match’s stipulated 100 overs.
Somerset all-rounder Gregory, one of five players in the England XI who was making his ODI debut, played his part in a woeful 1-11 in four overs after being given the new ball, which saw him dismiss the dangerous Mohammad Rizwan. Saw it happen
But the surprise of his return to international duty was cut short by the fact that Gregory was up against familiar opponents, who played for Islamabad United this year. Pakistan Super League T20 tournament.
“Knowing who you’re playing against and their strengths and weaknesses helps, having that experience PSL It was wonderful,” Gregory told reporters on Friday.
“They have some great cricketers in Pakistan. Being able to play against them first and know who you’re up against gives you a little boost. Hopefully, we can put that into practice.”
England may be fielding a new team under the captaincy of fit Ben Stokes again, but playing in the home T20 Blast certainly gave their players the advantage of being match-hardened.
Pakistan, in contrast, were limited to an intra-squad practice game after their arrival in England in quarantine, with one such match being thwarted by rain in the derby.
But Gregory said England were wrong to believe that from the time Saqib Mahmood took the wicket on the first ball of the match, the top-ranked England at Sophia Gardens had won as Pakistan were under-dos.
“It’s clearly not the best preparation,” he admitted. “But they (Pakistan) are clearly playing cricket, they have been late in the PSL – I don’t think they are back home comfortably for a few months.
“This quarantine isn’t easy, I’ve been there, done that, it’s not a good thing but we played really well.”
The series continues at Lord’s this weekend and the 29-year-old, who has represented England in eight T20Is, said: “It’s a different situation than before, but I’m absolutely sure to come back from them and quickly I am looking forward to return. And put pressure on us on Saturday.”
It remains uncertain whether England’s stand-in will be retained for the subsequent T20I series against Pakistan, but Gregory is determined to make the most of his chance.
Saturday’s match at the home of cricket is set to take place in front of a capacity crowd – the first English cricket has seen since the pandemic.
“Whenever you play at Lord’s it’s wonderful and it would be special to do that in front of a full house,” Gregory said.
“It’s been a long time playing in front of someone, so it’s going to be amazing. I can’t wait to be there and see how special it really is.”
A Covid outbreak within the England camp meant the squad originally selected for the three-match competition was forced to self-isolate, with head coach Chris Silverwood just days ahead of Thursday’s first ODI in Cardiff. The first was to assemble an entirely new 18-member party.
Yet despite the turmoil, 50-over world champions England still thrashed Pakistan by nine wickets, requiring only 67.1 from the match’s stipulated 100 overs.
Somerset all-rounder Gregory, one of five players in the England XI who was making his ODI debut, played his part in a woeful 1-11 in four overs after being given the new ball, which saw him dismiss the dangerous Mohammad Rizwan. Saw it happen
But the surprise of his return to international duty was cut short by the fact that Gregory was up against familiar opponents, who played for Islamabad United this year. Pakistan Super League T20 tournament.
“Knowing who you’re playing against and their strengths and weaknesses helps, having that experience PSL It was wonderful,” Gregory told reporters on Friday.
“They have some great cricketers in Pakistan. Being able to play against them first and know who you’re up against gives you a little boost. Hopefully, we can put that into practice.”
England may be fielding a new team under the captaincy of fit Ben Stokes again, but playing in the home T20 Blast certainly gave their players the advantage of being match-hardened.
Pakistan, in contrast, were limited to an intra-squad practice game after their arrival in England in quarantine, with one such match being thwarted by rain in the derby.
But Gregory said England were wrong to believe that from the time Saqib Mahmood took the wicket on the first ball of the match, the top-ranked England at Sophia Gardens had won as Pakistan were under-dos.
“It’s clearly not the best preparation,” he admitted. “But they (Pakistan) are clearly playing cricket, they have been late in the PSL – I don’t think they are back home comfortably for a few months.
“This quarantine isn’t easy, I’ve been there, done that, it’s not a good thing but we played really well.”
The series continues at Lord’s this weekend and the 29-year-old, who has represented England in eight T20Is, said: “It’s a different situation than before, but I’m absolutely sure to come back from them and quickly I am looking forward to return. And put pressure on us on Saturday.”
It remains uncertain whether England’s stand-in will be retained for the subsequent T20I series against Pakistan, but Gregory is determined to make the most of his chance.
Saturday’s match at the home of cricket is set to take place in front of a capacity crowd – the first English cricket has seen since the pandemic.
“Whenever you play at Lord’s it’s wonderful and it would be special to do that in front of a full house,” Gregory said.
“It’s been a long time playing in front of someone, so it’s going to be amazing. I can’t wait to be there and see how special it really is.”
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