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Malahide: Ireland host Pakistan in the first game of the two-match One Day International (ODI) series at Malahide, Dublin on Thursday.
It's all change for Pakistan as they return to white-ball cricket ahead of their five-match series with England
The problem Ireland faced in their last series was that they were inconsistent, not putting in a string of good performances on a regular basis. If they can cut their inconsistency from their game, they could become a force in world cricket in the future.
Fresh from a series levelling win against England in the fourth Test match at Kennington Oval, Pakistan come into this clash full of confidence but albeit with a very different side.
Gone are the stalwarts Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq who played an important role in the Test series, and in comes fresher and younger blood into the squad.
Only six of the players who took part in the exciting Test series in England -- which they drew 2-2 with a four-day victory at The Oval on Sunday -- stay on for the ODIs, in a 15-man squad captained by Azhar Ali.
Sami Aslam, Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar are the only specialist batsmen who keep their places along with Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah, but it is the return of pace bowler Umar Gul which has been the major talking point.
Gul, 32, who played against Ireland in Pakistan's shock World Cup defeat back in 2007, has not played 50-over cricket for 16 months but his experience of English conditions has seen him replace the giant Mohammad Irfan.
The only uncapped player in the squad is also a seam bowler, 22-year-old Hasan Ali who impressed in England in the recently completed Pakistan A tour from which slow left arm all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has also been promoted, hoping to add to his two T20s.
Ireland were dealt a huge blow on Tuesday with the news that former England pace bowler Boyd Rankin has not only been ruled out of the series but the rest of the season, including the ODIs in Benoni at the end of next month against South Africa and Australia.
Rankin suffered a fracture of his left leg, when training for Warwickshire's ongoing English County Championship game against Surrey, which has ruled him out of action for at least eight weeks.
Ireland have decided not to replace Rankin in their 14-man squad, happy with the return of Craig Young, following elbow surgery and the impressive ODI debut of Durham's Barry McCarthy in the recent series against Sri Lanka.
Teams from
Ireland: William Porterfield (c), John Anderson, Ed Joyce, Peter Chase, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien, Stuart Poytner (wk), Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Craig Young, Gary Wilson.
Pakistan: Azhar Ali (c), Sharjeel Khan, Sami Aslam, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Nawaz.
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Match facts
18 August 2016
Start time 1045 local (0945 GMT)
