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Kieswetter: Test tour is done

Image: Craig Kieswetter: Knows the importance of the match against the England Lions

Craig Kieswetter feels the one-day series against Pakistan will give some of England's rising stars a chance to impress.

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Craig Kieswetter hopes a few fresh faces can help England forget about their Test disappointments against Pakistan and focus on the upcoming one-day series. The tourists take on the England Lions on Friday in their one-and-only warm-up fixture before the four-match series gets underway in Abu Dhabi on Monday, live on Sky Sports. Pakistan will be a tough nut to crack on the slow, low pitches found in the United Arab Emirates, particularly after they swept their opponents in the three Tests beforehand. However Kieswetter - who has recently been playing for the Lions on their tour of Sri Lanka - hopes he, along with the other players drafted in for the one-day leg of the UAE tour, can help spark a revival in England's fortunes. "Any sort of away series is a tough task, we've got to bounce back from the Tests and show that we're not just a bad side overnight," he said. "We're a pretty solid one-day side and we're improving and we've got some fresh faces as well. "The Test tour is done, it's time for the one-dayers and it's an opportunity for younger, newer players to come in and help us win this series."

Lions chance

Kieswetter also knows the importance of the fixture against the Lions, having pushed his claims for an international call-up when he top-scored for the second string in a Twenty20 win at the Zayed Stadium two years ago. The wicketkeeper-batsman - who will bat down the order now Kevin Pietersen has been promoted to open - impressed team director Andy Flower so much that day that he was added to the squad for the tour of Bangladesh that followed. "It's obviously a big game for both sides," he said. "I was fortunate enough to play in one of these two years ago, and it kind of kickstarted my international career. "I played one of these games, and then two weeks later I was playing an ODI for England. "There's a lot riding on this game, our warm-up game for the series, and it gives the Lions guys a great opportunity to showcase their talents in front of Andy Flower and the selectors." Meanwhile, Jos Buttler is set to miss out for England having had stitches to split webbing in his hand. The 21-year-old, who has yet to make his ODI debut, suffered the minor injury while on tour with the Lions and took a limited role in Thursday's practice session.

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