England’s preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 have been hindered by adverse weather conditions during their four-match T20I series against Pakistan.
With two games washed out due to rain, only one match has been played, securing a 23-run victory in the second T20I while the forecast for the final T20I tonight is also not looking ideal.
England pacer Mark Wood expressed his concerns over the disrupted series as he is yet to feature in the series.
“Obviously, it’s not ideal when you schedule four games and we might only get one or two,” Wood said.
“Some lads have been playing at the IPL and they are match-ready. Other lads haven’t, and the lads that haven’t, is there a freshness?” he added.
The 34-year-old is hoping few of the players will get a run out at the Oval and have some match practice.
"A few of the lads are keen to get a run out at the Oval, so that will help. It will give confidence to everyone in the group. It was a good game the other day against Pakistan. They looked like they were pushing us really close, and might have got there in the end if it wasn't for such good bowling and shutting the game out from (Reece) Topley, (Chris) Jordan and (Jofra) Archer,” he added.
It must be noted that there are chances of rain during the final T20I of the series today at the Kennington Oval in London.
According to The Weather Channel, the match could be affected by rain since there is a 42 percent chance of downpour today in Kennington.
Squads
England: Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley and Mark Wood.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan.
- Mark Wood
