England's opening One-Day International against Pakistan was abandoned due to persistent rain after 19 overs at The Oval on Wednesday. England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and sent Pakistan in to bat after early morning showers delayed the start and reduced the game to 47 overs per side. Opener Imam-ul-Haq and Haris Sohail were at the crease when another rain delay further shortened the match, before it was eventually called off with the outfield too soggy for play to continue. Pakistan reached 80 for the loss two wickets in 19 overs. Earlier, England all-rounder Jofra Archer started with a superb maiden over to Ul-Haq, swinging the ball at sharp pace in bowler-friendly conditions. It was not long before Archer got England a breakthrough as Fakhar Zaman was caught by Joe Root in the slips. Barbados-born Archer is among a number of players who, despite being left out of England's preliminary World Cup squad, remain hopeful of being picked as a late replacement for the tournament starting May 30. The second ODI of the five-match series will be played in Southampton on Saturday. Pakistan recalled Mohammad Amir for the tieat The Oval. Left-arm quick Amir has been omitted from Pakistan's preliminary squad for the 50-over World Cup in England starting later this month. But Amir, who did not feature in Pakistan's seven-wicket Twenty20 loss to England in Cardiff on Sunday, could force his way into the final 15-man squad if he impresses during this five-match series against England, the world's No. 1-ranked ODI side. England made four changes to the team that beat Ireland by four wickets in a lone ODI in Dublin last week. Jonny Bairstow replaced Dawid Malan at the top of the order, first-choice ODI wicket-keeper Jos Buttler returned instead of Ben Foakes and pace bowling all-rounders Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes came in for Tom Curran and David Willey. But Sussex paceman Archer, who made his debut against Ireland, retained his place. Rain reduced this day/night match to 47 overs per side, with Morgan opting to field in the hope his bowlers could take advantage of the still overcast conditions. "Knowing what to chase is an advantage when there's rain about," said Morgan at the toss. "It's a huge boost to have our mainstay players back today. "There's a lot of strength in depth in the squad," he added. This series is about juggling guys so they're in form and fresh for the nine World Cup group games." Teams England: James Vince, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Jos Buttler (wkt), Ben Stokes, Joe Denly, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed (capt/wkt), Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Amir. — Agencies
