England will be looking to secure One-Day dominance in the UAE when the three-match Twenty20 series kicks off in Dubai later today, having recovered from Test series defeat to win the ODI series 3-1.

The opening match on Thursday will mark the first of five International T20s England will have to get in the best shape for the ICC T20 World Cup starting on March 11.

Alex Hales is Nottinghamshire’s sole representative in the squad and he will be aiming to fire England to Twenty20 glory when the series gets underway.

The 26-year-old, who occupies number three in the world’s T20 batting rankings, was a star performer in his country’s 3-1 victory over the same opposition in the recent One-Day International series, scoring his maiden century and averaging 43.

His explosive opening partnership with Jason Roy is set to continue during the three-match T20 series, when England will hope to continue their impressive white ball form since the ICC Cricket World Cup.

England head coach Trevor Bayliss hopes his side can take confidence in to the series following their recent ODI results.

"The players should have a lot of confidence from the way they've played going into the three T20 matches, knowing they can play in these conditions against this quality of opposition," Bayliss said.

Pakistan, ranked number two in the world and six places above their opponents, will be out to kickstart their preparation for the World T20, which will also include games in New Zealand and Bangladesh, with a series victory of their own.

Captain Shahid Afridi will be unable to call on the highest wicket-taker in T20s, Saeed Ajmal, due to the spinner struggling with his remodeled action, and Umar Gul, who missed out because of an injury.

However, the charismatic all-rounder hopes Pakistan can be classed as a settled side come the tournament in March.

"We want to settle down before the World Twenty20," said Afridi. 

"Besides that we are ranked number two so it's an important series for us in many ways and we will do our best to win it."

England: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan, Alex Hales, Stephen Parry, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey, Chris Woakes

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Sarfraz Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Anwar Ali, Bilal Asif, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan, Imran Khan, Shoaib Malik, Sohaib Maqsood, Rafatullah Mohmand, Mohammad Rizwan, Ahmed Shehzad, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Aamer Yamin

 

England are returning to the scene of their Ashes triumph in 2016 for Royal London One-Day Internationals against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Don't miss the opportunity to watch some of the best players in the world go toe-to-toe in the unique surroundings of Trent Bridge and secure your seats now.