Pakistan Pick Cheema, England Elect to Bat

Dubai: England captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistan on Tuesday in the first of three Tests to be played in Dubai.

Pakistan entered the match with two spinners in Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman, but England did not include left-arm spinner Monty Panesar, instead playing a third paceman, Chris Tremlett.

Stuart Broad (foot) and Ian Bell (left wrist) had minor injuries but both were well enough to be part of the starting eleven.

Teams

Pakistan: Misbah-ul Haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Taufiq Umar, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman.

England: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson.

Scores	Upcoming	Results
West Indies vs Bangladesh - 3rd T20I Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan - 2nd ODI South Africa vs Pakistan - 2nd ODI 3rd ODI - Zimbabwe v Afghanistan - December 21, 07:30 GMT 3rd ODI - South Africa v Pakistan - December 22, 12:00 GMT 3rd Test - Australia v India at Brisbane Match drawn 2nd T20I - West Indies v Bangladesh at St Vincent Bangladesh won by 27 runs

Related links

Pakistan vs England 2011/2012 News

England Maintain Top Spot in T20 Rankings [+]

World champions England continued their domination of the ICC T20I Rankings while 2007 edition winners India occupied the sixth place in the latest chart.

England Take T20 Series in Thriller [+]

England bowlers kept their nerves in the final overs to pull off a sensational five-run win over Pakistan in the third and final Twenty20 to take the series 2-1

England Bat in T20 Decider Against Pak [+]

England captain Stuart Broad won the toss and elected to bat in the third and final Twenty20 international against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi Stadium.

After Two Whitewashes Series End With Decider [+]

After two whitewashes we now have a series decider following England's slick victory in the second Twenty20 international in Dubai.

Bairstow Shines as England Level [+]

Jonny Bairstow hit a fifty and Steven Finn took three wickets to guide England to a comfortable 38-run win in the second Twenty20 match against Pakistan.

Gul, Malik Haul Brings Pakistan Home [+]

Pacer Umar Gul took 3/18 to inspire Pakistan to a thrilling eight-run win in the first of three Twenty20 internationals against England at Dubai stadium.

Pakistan Look to Redress Balance in T20 [+]

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq said his side are desperate to redress the balance in a Twenty20 international against England Thursday after a one-day series whitewash by the tourists.

Pietersen Successive Ton Secures Whitewash [+]

Kevin Pietersen hit his second successive ton to help a resurgent England beat Pakistan by four wickets in the final ODI on Tuesday for a 4-0 whitewash.

Briggs, Buttler Debut; Pakistan Bat [+]

There were plenty of changes for both sides in the 4th ODI. Jos Buttler and Danny Briggs are making their debut for England.

Pakistan Seek to Avoid Clean-sweep Against England [+]

Mohsin Khan said his team will need to raise their standards in all three departments to stop England from a clean sweep of the one-day series in the fourth match on Tuesday.