KARACHI: England stand-in captain Moeen Ali revealed that it was an honour for him to lead his side on the historic tour of Pakistan, especially with his ancestral roots being from the same country.
England are currently on their first tour of Pakistan in almost17 years and are set to face the Green Shirts in the seven-match T20I series for the first time on the latter’s home soil.
Speaking at a scheduled press conference on Sunday, England skipper Moeen stated that regardless of the fitness issues that some of their players were facing, they still had a very strong side.
“We are coming back from the injuries, We have a very difficult summer,” he said. ” Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow and Jofra Arches, they all have been facing injuries. Captain Buttler has also been injured, And they all gonna take the time”
Moeen added that England’s white-ball skipper Buttler’s participation in the last two or three games of the series was also uncertain since England want its captain to be fully fit for the World Cup.
England’s current squad, he stated, cannot be called a “B” team since they were a very good white-ball side.
“It’s unfortunate that we are short of a few key players, but it’s not an issue of selection,” he said. “In fact, it gives young players an opportunity to prove themselves”
While talking about his Pakistani roots, Moeen said it was a proud moment for him, his family, friends and people of his community and they all were happy that he was captaining the England team in this historic tour of Pakistan.
Furthermore, the 35-year-old, asserted that he was aware of the conditions in Pakistan because of his experience of playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
‘I know that Karachi’s weather is always humid. We’ll see the wickets first then make our plans” he maintained.
It is pertinent to mention here that England will take on Pakistan in seven T20Is from September 20 to October 2. National Stadium, Karachi will host the first four matches of the series, while the remaining matches will be played at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
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