Pakistan tour of England 2020: England Vs Pakistan, First T20I

Match predictions

Winners Prediction: England and Pakistan will meet in the 3-match T20I series after rain marred Test series. Both Teams play T20I match for the first time in 2020 after the Pandemic.  England have the upper hand in this contest as they have attacking players suited for the shortest format comparing to the Pakistan with home advantage on their side. We expect England to win this contest.

Pitch Conditions: Old Trafford is expected to have a belter of track with a lot of runs on offer. Pace bowlers might get extra zip and bounce from the track that may trouble the batsmen. We expect average scores to be in the range of 170-180 runs in this match. 

Toss Prediction: Chasing is the best option in T20I matches and we expect both captains to field first if they win the toss. No target is safe nowadays with bigger bats, stronger & fitter batsmen and smaller boundaries. 

Predicted Playing XI

ENGLAND: Eoin Morgan (C), Johnny Bairstow (Wk), Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Sam Billings, David Willey, Moeen Ali,  Tom Curran, Adil Rashid, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood/Lewis Gregory

PAKISTAN: Babar Azam (C), Mohammed Rizwan (Wk), Fakhar Zaman, Ifthikar Ahmed, Mohammed Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Shoaib Malik, Haris Rauf, Mohammed HAsnain, Mohammed Amir, Wahab Riaz

MATCH FACTS

• England have 4-2 win-loss record Pakistan in their home ground in T20Is. 
• Pakistan beat England by 9 wickets last time they met in a T20I at Old Trafford, Manchester. 
• Pakistan has 3-7 win-loss record in last 10 T20I matches while England has a 7-3 record. 

Players to Bet on

ENGLAND

1. Eoin Morgan – Eoin Morgan scored an attacking century in the last ODI match he played for England. He will look to dominate the bowlers in the middle overs and take their team ton a big total. 
2. David Willey – David Willey made a superb comeback in the ODI format with his all-round performances to earn the Man of the Series award. He will look to prove himself in the T20 arena too.  
3. Johnny Bairstow – Bairstow is an excellent player of both pace and spin. He looks to be in good touch from the last series and he will be a tough player to stop once he gets going.  

PAKISTAN

1. Babar Azam – Babar Azam is the No.1 batsman in the T20I format in ICC rankings currently. He played a superb knock to save the game in the last test and will have good acclimatization of the English conditions. 
2. Mohammed Hafeez – Hafeez is a veteran player who opens the batting for Pakistan and also bowls effectively with his off-spinners. He will be good pick as he can perform both with the bat and ball. 
3. Mohammed Amir – Amir can swing the ball prodigiously both ways with the new cherry in hand. He will be tough bowler to face in the English conditions.  

DREAM XI Picks

Wicket-Keeper: Sam Billings (ENG), Johnny Bairstow (ENG)

Batsmen: Eoin Morgan (ENG), Babar Azam (PAK), Mohammed Hafeez (PAK)

All-rounders: David Willey (ENG), Shadab Khan (PAK)

Bowlers: Adil Rashid (ENG), Mohammed Amir (PAK), Mohammed Hasnain (PAK), Chris Jordan (ENG)

Captain: David Willey (ENG) 

Vice-Captain: Johnny Bairstow (ENG) or Babar Azam (PAK)

ENG – England

PAK – Pakistan

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