England vs Pakistan: Eoin Morgan says tourist has 'all bases covered'

Players who featured in the recent Test series against Pakistan have been rested for the T20I series.

Eoin Morgan looks on during fielding practice during a net session at Old Trafford on Thursday.

England captain Eoin Morgan feels Pakistan could pose a strong threat in the three-match T20I series that begins in Manchester on Friday.

“Pakistan is a very dangerous T20 team. If anyone watched the PSL (Pakistan Super League) this year, the strength and depth of Pakistan cricket is surprising in one way. I haven’t played there in a couple of years and you forget the depth they have across their domestic cricket. It is no surprise they are producing excellent cricketers at the top level. They have all bases covered,” said Morgan on Thursday.

The England skipper also had words of praise for his Pakistan counterpart Babar Azam, saying, “He is a fantastic player. I played with him at Karachi Kings. He is a guy very early in his cricketing career but has achieved quite a lot doing the simple things extremely well.”

Despite losing Jason Roy, who was ruled out of the series because of a side strain, England starts as the favourite, having won in New Zealand and South Africa in its two most recent engagements.

The return of Chris Jordan and Dawid Malan, who had missed the one-day series against Ireland, has given the home side a further boost. “I think their contributions in international T20s are well documented. Dawid, in particular, has put together an early establishment of a career by the weight of runs and the rate at which he has got them. CJ has been an integral part of the bowling line-up and is a leader within our group as well,” said Morgan.

When asked if the postponement of the T20 World Cup hurt England, considering the side's form and cohesion, the World Cup-winning captain said, “We would have been at an advantage over a lot of other nations, given we were already playing together. But I think a lot of sides might have been up against it and it would have added a level of unpredictability to the tournament.”

Watch the first England-Pakistan T20I live on Sony Six and Sony Ten 3 (Hindi) channels on Aug. 28, 10.30 p.m. onwards.