Pakistan v England / Ed Hawkins / 24 February 2012 /

Ed Hawkins says England need to bolster their batting by tweaking the order for the second Twenty20 match in Dubai on Saturday

Start: 16:00
Live on Sky Sports 1

Pakistan
One would be entitled to wonder where the Pakistan team that played in Thursday's Twenty20 opener was when they were getting hammered in the one-day internationals.

This was the thrilling outfit that has so often tempted punters to take advantage of juicy odds. They were particularly brilliant with the ball. Umar Gul was at his expert best at the death, while Saeed Ajmal was a miser in his last over, the crucial one.

Pakistan did get a little lucky, though. Misbah-ul-Haq gave England a sniff by making a mess of his bowling options when Junaid Khan had to bowl the last over. As it was he held his nerve but no doubt the captain would be better off ensuring Gul bowls the last over in any future chases.

England
There was plenty to like about England in the field and they looked as much a threat with the ball as they did in the one-day series. But it was the batting that let them down as a classic humdrum performance in the Asian sub-continent against spin was reproduced.

England are always liable to being bamboozled by spin - again, why it didn't happen in the one-dayers we don't know - but they could be a little cannier to try to negate the problems. For a start the greenhorns Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler must not bat together at Nos 5 and 6. Samit Patel should be sandwiched (no pun is intended here) between the two.

Venue and conditions
It the Dubai International Cricket Stadium once more and we know this pitch like our front rooms. It is tricky to bat on with the ball not coming onto the willow as batsmen would like. Before game one the average first-innings score was 140 and Pakistan were on the money with 144. We should expect a similar total again if Pakistan bat first and certainly a lay of 160 or more is a shrewd move for whoever bats first.

Match odds
Pakistan are the outsiders for game two, priced at [2.08] with England [1.91]. Despite recommending the tourists to take the series 2-1 we have lost a little bit of confidence in their batting and would feel overexposed if we went with them again.

There is scope for back and lays and vice versa in these contests, it would appear however. England were cruising to victory but suffered an implosion not often seen in T20. The spinners are the potential turning point and a note should be made that this is the trading point also.

England did not score a boundary after the 15th over they were so gripped by fear and they scored only 17 runs from the 24 balls that encompassed overs 16 to 19. A repeat would see a profitable shift in odds.

Top Pakistan batsman

The opener Awais Zia made quite an impression on his T20 debut, hitting 18 from 12 balls. Not particularly spectacular but it was the way he tried to hit almost every ball out of the ground which caught the eye. A repeat is likely and if there are funds swilling around the market, he is a great option to lay because, sooner or later, he will hit one straight up in the air.

Top England batsman

Kevin Pietersen looks back to his arrogant best. He is standing tall at the crease and biffing it to all parts. You may also spot that he appears to have an age to play his shots. He is the best back option, albeit at prohibitive odds.

Recommended bet
Lay side batting first for 160 or more at around [2.80]

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