ENG vs PAK 2nd Match Prediction

ENG vs PAK Team Previews

England

Ever since winning the T20 World Cup in 2022, England has struggled to keep up the momentum in the shortest format. A dismal campaign in the ODI World Cup didn’t help either. As we are fast approaching the marquee T20 event yet again, England will hope to turn things around.

Jos Buttler has a strong and well-balanced squad at his disposal. While his personal form wasn’t very consistent in the IPL, he did manage to score a couple of centuries and that should boost his confidence. He is likely to be joined by Phil Salt at the top of the order, who has made a name for himself by absolutely going bananas in the powerplay.

With Ben Stokes not available for this series (possibly done in this format), much will depend on the performance of Johnny Bairstow, Harry Brook, and Will Jacks in the middle order. The nature of T20 cricket is such that teams take a lot more risks now and try to use their resources optimally.

Bairstow, Brook, and Jacks have all made runs by batting in the top-3 so adjusting to the middle order is going to be a bit tricky. This England batting lineup is clearly destructive on its day but can implode as well.

This match might also mark the return of Jofra Archer to international cricket after more than a year. He will be joined by Chris Jordan, Reece Topley, and Sam Curran in the seam department, while Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali will feature in the spin attack.

There is a lot of experience in the bowling lineup but not as much venom as England would have liked. Archer will be eased into international cricket again and so might just bowl one or two overs. 

Pakistan

Pakistan is the only team that has yet to declare a squad for the upcoming World Cup. This shows that there are still some corners that need to be rounded off before the tournament begins.

The top order is pretty robust with the inclusion of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, and Fakhar Zaman. It appears as if Babar will continue to bat at 3 with Saim Ayub abd Mohammad Rizwan opening the batting.

Fakhar Zaman will bat at 4 followed by Usman Khan, Azam Khan, and the all-rounders.

In fact, Pakistan's biggest strength is likely to be its battery of versatile all-rounders.

Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Imad Wasim are all quality players who can change the course of the game with both, the bat as well as the ball. On paper, Pakistan can put a team out on the field that can bat till 9 and still have six-seven bowling options.

Haris Rauf, who has been in and out of the squad due to injuries, is likely to join Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah in the pace attack. There are also a couple of other options that can be included in the playing XI like Hasan Ali and Mohammad Amir. Abrar Ahmed is the lone specialist spinner on the squad. 

Genuine pace and aggressive new ball bowlers will be the biggest strength for Pakistan. Picking three out of the four bowlers available is not going to be easy but you assume that Amir and Imad, brought back from retirement, would have a role to play in this series. 

*Update: Hasan Ali has been released from the squad.