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After winning the Test series against Pakistan, the confidence of England would be sky-high as they are supposed to take on the ‘Men in Green’ in the T20I series starting from Friday (August 28) at Old Trafford in Manchester.
The visitors, on the other hand, would be seeking vengeance and hoping to turn things around in the first-ever T20 international series since the coronavirus impacted the fascinating sport.
Just like the ODI series against Ireland, England wouldn’t feature any player from the Test side. Though, Pakistan have included five players from the whites.
Pitch report and weather forecast:
The seamers on both sides will be happy as there has been a lot of rain in Manchester in the three days before the T20I series opener. It means that the pitch will have some moisture, and that would help the fast-bowlers.
Just like a few days in the Test series, there will be light showers throughout Friday in Manchester. Expectantly, it would not impact the game that much.
England vs Pakistan, Probable XI:
England:
Before the series could begin, England received a setback as their experienced opener Jason Roy has also been ruled out of the T20I series against Pakistan owing to a side strain. However, he’ll remain with the national side to regain full fitness for the series against Australia in September.
Roy’s absence will perhaps give Tom Banton a chance to perform at the top. Captain Eoin Morgan and Sam Billings will handle the responsibility of the middle order while Joe Denly could return to international action as well.
David Willey, Chris Jordan, and Tom Curran will take over the fast-bowling department, while the pair of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid will lead the spin attack.
Probable XI: Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan, Sam Billings, Joe Denly, Moeen Ali, David Willey, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid
Pakistan:
Since Pakistan have decided to feature some players from the Test side, they now have a 17-man squad which gives them quite a few options. Mohammad Rizwan’s fantabulous red-ball series may inspire Pakistan management to select him over former skipper Sarfraz Ahmed.
Mohammad Hafiz and Shoaib Malik will play the role of seniors and could well assist new skipper Babar Azam.
Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir and Shaheen Afridi will be seen displaying fast bowling while Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim will act as the spin duo.
Probable XI: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Imad Wasim, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Here are the fantasy Dream11 suggestions:
Fantasy Suggestion #1:
Jonny Bairstow (wk), Sam Billings, Tom Banton, Eoin Morgan, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, David Willey, Imad Wasim, Adil Rashid, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi.
Captain: Eoin Morgan Vice Captain: Babar Azam
Fantasy Suggestion #2:
Jonny Bairstow (wk), Mohammad Rizwan, Eoin Morgan, Dawid Malan, Babar Azam, Haider Ali, Moeen Ali, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz.
Captain: Babar Azam; Vice Captain: Moeen Ali
Squads:
England: Tom Banton, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan (c), Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Tom Curran, David Willey, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Rizwan, Khushdil Shah, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf.
