PAK vs IRE Match Preview
Pakistan will expect themselves to beat Ireland, but the toss could be important. If Ireland get first use of the better bowling conditions, they will make this an interesting contest.
In his three T20Is against Ireland, Babar Azam averages 44 on the dot with two fifties. He will want more runs against the Irish.
Besides being tidy behind the stumps, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has performed well against Ireland with the bat. He averages 66 at a strike rate of 150 so he could be in for a match-winning knock against a side he'll fancy.
Shaheen Afridi is known for scalping crucial wickets, but is also reliable as an economical bowler. He has taken 31 wickets in 21 games at neutral venues with an impressive economy of just under seven.
Andy Balbirnie will need to be another key performer for Ireland to beat Pakistan. He averages just under 35 with ten scores of 50+ to his name in T20Is that Ireland have won.
Josh Little will be key for Ireland if they want to topple Pakistan. With the ball, he averages under 20 at an economy just over six in Ireland's wins compared to an average just under 30 and economy just over eight in Ireland's losses.
Weather Report
The weather is expected to be cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain on matchday. However, torrential rain will precede Sunday's fixture.
Pitch Report
The previous few days would have been wet. This will be music to the ears of both team's fast bowling stocks who will want to express themselves in favourable bowling conditions.
Notable stats
Azam at the fore
Babar Azam has lead Pakistan in T20Is for 55 consecutive matches. This is the most of any T20I captain.
Team News
Pakistan may want to go back to what has worked in the past with Rizwan and Azam opening the batting together. They may want to bolster their batting lineup by bringing Iftikhar Ahmed into the middle order. Graham Hume has gone unused in the tournament for Ireland. The right-arm fast bowler could make an appearance on Sunday.
PAK vs IRE Probable 11
PAK Playing 11
- Mohammad Rizwan (Wk)
- Saim Ayub
- Babar Azam (C)
- Fakhar Zaman
- Usman Khan
- Shadab Khan
- Imad Wasim
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Naseem Shah
- Haris Rauf
- Mohammad Amir
IRE Playing 11
- Andy Balbirnie
- Paul Stirling (C)
- Lorcan Tucker (Wk)
- Harry Tector
- Curtis Campher
- George Dockrell
- Gareth Delany
- Mark Adair
- Barry McCarthy
- Josh Little
- Craig Young
Dream11 Prediction
Pakistan would expect more from their performances especially in a game where they would be favourites to walk away with two points. They may have hit form just when they need to after beating Canada by seven wickets.
Top Picks
Babar Azam: Azam's sublime strokeplay is backed by his ability to deliver runs. He has scored 39 career fifties in T20Is which is the most for any batter.
Shaheen Afridi: The tall quick has enjoyed his games against Ireland. He has taken seven wickets in three games with a bowling average of just under 13 against them.
Josh Little: The left-armer has taken over 50 wickets in T20I matches played in the day.
PAK vs IRE Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: Mohammad Rizwan, Lorcan Tucker
Batters: Paul Stirling (VC), Babar Azam (C)
All-rounders: Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Mark Adair
Bowlers: Shaheen Shah Afridi , Josh Little, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir
