Nottinghamshire and England batsman James Taylor is expecting a Pakistani backlash in Sharjah today following the tourists’ 95-run victory on Friday.

But, having learned the lessons of how to bat effectively in Subcontinental conditions, Taylor is confident of securing another win.

"I've learned a lot, playing again in the sub-continent, how tough the environment and the conditions are - and how good a side Pakistan are," he said.

"As a team we've learned a lot, and I think that is the most important thing.

“But most importantly, we've come here to win - and so far, we've won one and lost one. So it's all to play for. We know they're going to come back hard at us.

"I think the boys in general have played spin pretty well on this trip. I think the talent we've got in this one-day group is exceptional and we showed glimpses of that in the second match," Taylor added.

"A lot of credit has to go to our batsmen and the way they've played Yasir [Shah].”

The match in Sharjah could see Taylor, who scored 60 in the first match of the series, renew his David versus Goliath battle against seven foot Pakistan paceman Mohammad Irfan.

Taylor admits to finding the height comparisons amusing, but believes the extra bounce created by the 33-year-old plays into his hands. 

"I haven't suddenly become this small overnight,” he laughed.

“I’ve been around the lads for a while now, so it's nothing different.

"He's just an exceptionally tall bowler, so it's always amusing when I come up against him.

"I had neckache for half-an-hour afterwards! I quite enjoy facing the big guys, because it means the ball should bounce - and that plays to my strengths.

"But he's obviously exceptionally tall, and I'm pretty short - so the height difference is quite funny. I find it amusing looking up at him, and I'm sure everybody else around the ground did as well."

 

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.