Ahead of Pakistan’s second fixture against England in the ongoing tri-nation series and questions about whether the team will field a modified XI, captain Shaheed Afridi thinks that having multiple players performing well is a “good headache to have”.

With opener Saim Ayub going through a lean patch in form, his partner Fakhar Zaman having been under par in the series so far, and frontline spinner Abrar Ahmed not having started a game yet, the possibilities of the playing XI Pakistan might field against England on Sunday informed much of the questions asked to Pakistan’s ODI captain in the pre-match presser.

“We are too quick to declare players as bad players, after one or two series,” he said when asked about Saim’s bleak scoring string, and whether that bears on him as captain.

He added that having Saim in the team gave the side an “edge” on Tuesday against England, when they needed the services of spin-bowling in the middle overs to “contain” the game.

“Imagine we didn’t have Saim at that point, and had instead an extra fast bowler, when the ball was coming onto the bat too easily. So Saim gives you that edge.”

He similarly backed Fakhar Zaman, calling him a “main player” for the Pakistan One-day side, adding that him being in the team is “very important”.

“I think this is a good headache to have, that everyone is performing,” he said.

He exemplified Hasan Nawaz, who came back to the side after a period of trying to improve his game in domestic and club cricket, including the four-team One-day tournament hosted by the Pakistan Cricket Board in August. Hasan’s knock was crucial in rebuilding Pakistan’s challenge to England in the first match.

The questions of selection also include the lack of Abrar Ahmed in the series so far.

“Abrar is the main bowler of our spin unit, and if we feel even slightly that the wicket will help spinners, we will obviously chip him in,” said Shaheen.

He added that the inclination towards all-rounders is to aid the team’s chances on the type of pitches that have featured in the series so far, where you “need a proper all-rounder” to come in, even at number eight. He recalled Arafat Minhas’ half-century and Faheem Ashraf’s late but crucial cameo on Tuesday to fortify his point.

The series is part of Pakistan’s preparation for the ODI World Cup next year, which will happen across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

“Where we will play the World Cup, the bowling of fast-bowlers is extremely important,” he said.

“Changes are not that easy, they don’t allow players to settle,” he said, adding that the team tries to limit too many changes to the XI during a series itself, as the main objective is to allow the team to settle as much as possible with a fairly consistent combination.

‘Amazing game of cricket’

England lost their previous fixture to Sri Lanka, where the latter pulled off a mammoth task to complete the second-highest run-chase in ODI cricket history, undercutting Harry Brook’s historic double-century. England must win both their remaining fixtures if they are to qualify for the tournament final.

“Look, we have nothing to do with the other teams, about how many runs they are scoring or what their mindset is. Our mindset is that we need to win the match,” said Shaheen.

“You have to appreciate what an amazing game of cricket it was,” said England spinner Will Jacks in his pre-match press conference about Thursday night’s game.

“I think we’ve got a good chance now to bounce back. We’ve still got two more group games in this series and we know now we’re in a very simple situation where we have to win both.”

While Jacks said they expect the pitches in Lahore, where the series will now move to, to be similarly helpful to batters as Pindi, the side will still need to weigh any possible changes.

“We’ll need to have a look tonight and see how the training pitches play and then assess tomorrow.”

“I wouldn’t say we have an issue. I’d say that like any touring side here, it’s foreign conditions and you have to work your way through each individual match,” said Jacks when asked what hampers English ODI success on Pakistani soil. Apart from the last two matches of the ongoing series, England had also lost their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan in Lahore last February.

“Touring Pakistan is really exciting for for a foreign player. We know how much the game of cricket is valued and loved.”

“It should be a great occasion and hopefully a good game.”