Ahead of the ODI series between Pakistan and England, Osman Samiuddin profiles nine new players set to take part in the UAE.
ENGLAND
Sam Billings (wicketkeeper-batsman)
Billings did not quite set the summer alight as part of a new-look England ODI side but England know the destruction his batting can cause. He once hit a 58-ball 135 against Somerset, prompting Marcus Trescothick to consider him a potential rival to Jos Buttler; Billings also keeps wickets, a facet of his game he has improved in recent seasons.
Alex Hales (batsman)
England are banking on Hales’ modernity at the top of the order to change the nature of their limited overs batting approach. At 6”5 he can be an imposing presence, particularly powerful when cutting and driving. Though he has yet to really impact on a 50-over game, he has shown plenty of what he can do — and more — over 20 overs.
Jason Roy (batsman)
If Kevin Pietersen thinks you are a little like Kevin Pietersen then it is fair to assume you have a little something special. Roy’s clean-hitting and switch-hits for Surrey have become a regular feature of England’s T20 Blast. But as with so many of these new, young and modern English batsman, he has yet to prove it at the next level up.
Reece Topley (fast bowler)
Tall — 6”7 — left-armed and from a cricketing family, Topley is difficult to miss on the field. He has not lived up to giddy early expectations — as a leading wicket-taker at the 2012 U-19 World Cup — but has remained on England’s radar for obvious reasons. He debuted against Australia in September and expect him to play a role at some point in the UAE.
David Willey (all-rounder)
The son of former international umpire Peter, Willey’s all-round abilities have long excited England. He almost made it to their World Cup squad earlier this year and probably would have fared no worse than anyone else. Earlier this summer he fell yards short of hitting six sixes off a Mike Yardy over — he has the potential for that kind of impact, with bat and ball, or in the field.
PAKISTAN
Aamer Yamin (all-rounder)
Could Yamin be the answer to a long-standing Pakistan problem, a lack of a proper all-rounder? It is probably too early to say and we have too little to go on. He has had one good first-class season and shot to attention with a couple of performances in Pakistan’s domestic T20 Cup this September. Made an impressive 62 against Zimbabwe from number eight.
Babar Azam (batsman)
As he is a cousin of the Akmal brothers, it is fair to conclude Azam can bat a little. In truth, he has long been considered the next big thing in Pakistani batting although he only debuted earlier this year, after a prolific junior career. He did not look bad either, though the Zimbabwe attack at home is no great indication of quality.
Bilal Asif (all-rounder)
It is easy to imagine that Bilal Asif has been around longer than just two ODIs. That was enough time for him to be reported for a suspect action only to be cleared, as well as appear as a serious spinning option for Pakistan in the Tests against England. He is actually an all-rounder, though his batting is rustic (earlier this year he hit a 48-ball hundred in a domestic T20 game). Pakistan will instead hope to reap the rewards of his offspin.
Mohammad Rizwan (batsman/wicketkeeper)
Arguably the most exciting of the players Pakistan have introduced since the World Cup this year. He may be diminutive in stature but is a proper dynamo with the bat — in nine ODI innings so far, he averages over 50 and has a strike rate above 100. He is also, easily, the most electric fielder in the side.
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