England may play three spinners in first ODI v Pakistan

A fixture that is already guaranteed to make history (because the third umpire will call front foot no-balls) could take another interesting twist if England opt to field Liam Dawson alongside Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid.

The Hampshire left-arm spinner is hoping to play at the Ageas Bowl, particularly given the dry conditions at his home ground.

"Having Liam Dawson brings the option of playing three spinners and that is something we might have to take into consideration as we look ahead to the winter tours of Bangladesh and India," Morgan said on the eve of the series opener.

"It will be a very tough series against Pakistan, especially as the recent warm weather means conditions may suit them more than they suit us initially. It is a good test leading into the winter."

England go into the game full of confidence after their series victory over Sri Lanka earlier this season and have been further boosted by the news that all-rounder Ben Stokes and his Durham team mate Mark Wood are back from calf and ankle injuries respectively – although the former will only play as a batsman for the first two games.

Pakistan this week rose to number one in the world test rankings after their 2-2 draw with England.

But the ODI side will be looking to improve a dismal recent record against opponents who have beaten them in eight of their last nine short-form meetings.

"We have very good potential in one-day cricket, we've certainly got belief," said Azhar Ali who has replaced test captain Misbah-ul-Haq as skipper.

"It's really important going into any series, you need to have belief and trust in the ability of the players. If we bring our ‘A’ game we definitely will compete."