NOTTINGHAM, United Kingdom: England captain Eoin Morgan played a straight bat when asked about the chances of bolstering his pace attack for the side’s second World Cup match against Pakistan at Trent Bridge on Monday.
The way Pakistan’s batsmen were undone by a barrage of bouncers from the West Indies in their opening defeat has led to suggestions England could recall fast bowler Mark Wood.
But given World Cup hosts and favorites England started their campaign with a 104-run thrashing of South Africa at the Oval on Thursday, they may decide to stick with a winning formula rather, than bring Wood in alongside fellow 90 mph plus paceman Jofra Archer.
“I think there’s a good case for playing any of our bowlers,” Morgan told reporters at Trent Bridge on Sunday. “We’ll have to adapt to anything the wicket throws up.
“If there is anything to exploit, hopefully we’ll select the right team.”
But Morgan was well aware of the attraction of an Archer-Wood partnership.
“It is exciting. It’s like saying can you add a Jason Roy 180 to a Jos Buttler 150 off 70 or 80 balls — it might happen and if it does that would be awesome.”
England have twice set world records for the highest score in a one-day international at Nottinghamshire’s headquarters — posting 444 for three against Pakistan in 2016 before closing in on the 500 barrier with 481 for six against world champions Australia last year.
“To get something near that you need to play unbelievably well,” said Morgan. “It starts with the very basics with getting yourself into an innings and each batter starting and trying to establish a partnership.”
England’s final series before the World Cup saw them whitewash Pakistan 4-0. The 1992 Word Cup champions then suffered their 11th straight loss in a completed ODI against on Friday against the West Indies.
But having seen his England side beaten by eventual tournament winners Pakistan in the semifinals of the 2017 Champions Trophy in Cardiff, Morgan was taking nothing for granted.
“We’re preparing for Pakistan at their best,” the Dubliner insisted.
“Only two years ago they were the best side in the Champions Trophy, they turned us over, they turned India over. We’ll be preparing as best we can for their A-game.”
Morgan keeps pace cards close to his chest ahead of Pakistan clash
Morgan keeps pace cards close to his chest ahead of Pakistan clash
- In opening match, Pakistan's batsmen were undone by a barrage of bouncers from the West
- England have twice set world records for the highest score in ODI at Nottinghamshire
Sindh assembly passes resolution rejecting move to separate Karachi
- Chief Minister Shah cites constitutional safeguards against altering provincial boundaries
- Calls to separate Karachi intensified amid governance concerns after a mall fire last month
ISLAMABAD: The provincial assembly of Pakistan’s southern Sindh province on Saturday passed a resolution rejecting any move to separate Karachi, declaring its territorial integrity “non-negotiable” amid political calls to carve the city out as a separate administrative unit.
The resolution comes after fresh demands by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and other voices to grant Karachi provincial or federal status following governance challenges highlighted by the deadly Gul Plaza fire earlier this year that killed 80 people.
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest and most densely populated city, is the country’s main commercial hub and contributes a significant share to the national economy.
Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah tabled the resolution in the assembly, condemning what he described as “divisive statements” about breaking up Sindh or detaching Karachi.
“The province that played a foundational role in the creation of Pakistan cannot allow the fragmentation of its own historic homeland,” Shah told lawmakers, adding that any attempt to divide Sindh or separate Karachi was contrary to the constitution and democratic norms.
Citing Article 239 of Pakistan’s 1973 Constitution, which requires the consent of not less than two-thirds of a provincial assembly to alter provincial boundaries, Shah said any such move could not proceed without the assembly’s approval.
“If any such move is attempted, it is this Assembly — by a two-thirds majority — that will decide,” he said.
The resolution reaffirmed that Karachi would “forever remain” an integral part of Sindh and directed the provincial government to forward the motion to the president, prime minister and parliamentary leadership for record.
Shah said the resolution was not aimed at anyone but referred to the shifting stance of MQM in the debate while warning that opposing the resolution would amount to supporting the division of Sindh.
The party has been a major political force in Karachi with a significant vote bank in the city and has frequently criticized Shah’s provincial administration over its governance of Pakistan’s largest metropolis.
Taha Ahmed Khan, a senior MQM leader, acknowledged that his party had “presented its demand openly on television channels with clear and logical arguments” to separate Karachi from Sindh.
“It is a purely constitutional debate,” he told Arab News by phone. “We are aware that the Pakistan Peoples Party, which rules the province, holds a two-thirds majority and that a new province cannot be created at this stage. But that does not mean new provinces can never be formed.”
Calls to alter Karachi’s status have periodically surfaced amid longstanding complaints over governance, infrastructure and administrative control in the megacity, though no formal proposal to redraw provincial boundaries has been introduced at the federal level.
