In what is the first T20I series to take place after the Covid-19 forced break, England will take on Pakistan in the 3rd T20I match of the 3-match series. The series is in favor of England 1-0, with the first match being washed out with a ball bowled.
Pakistan were put to bat by England in the 2nd T20I and the Pakistan players looked comfortable throughout the innings and scored freely. The match seemed well in favour of Pakistan when they gave the hosts a target of 196. But, The England team with the likes of Tom Banton, Eoin Morgan, Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow showed sheer dominance in chasing down the score with ease.
The visitors after doing a great job with the bat could not replicate the same with the ball and the captaincy of Babar letting them down at times too. The visitors would have learnt from their mistakes and go in the field looking to draw the series 1-1. With some really good players on both sides the match is expected to be a cracker.
Pitch and Conditions
The pitch as we saw in the 2nd T20I, would be a paradise for the batsmen and one can expect it to be a high scoring encounter once again.
With the weather forecast being clear and rain is not expected to play spoilsport.
Probable Playing Xl
England: Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan, Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Lewis Gregory, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Adil Rashid.
Pakistan: Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Iftekhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Wahab Riaz.
Players to watch out for
1) Mohammad Hafeez
The 39-year old showed why he is still one of the best hard-hitters in the sport when he hit the English bowlers all around the park while scoring a brillant 69 of 36 balls. The former captain in the current form he is will surely look to take the game away from the hosts with his hard-hitting capability.
2) Dawid Malan
The English No.3 made the chase look way easier than it was supposed to be. His classy knock of 56 included 7 boundaries but more importantly his ability to rotate the strike was top notch. His innings had merely 7 dot balls which showed his ability to keep the scoreboard ticking. It is no doubt that the 32-year old could play the vital role again for the hosts.
3) Adil Rashid
When all the bowlers were going for more than 10 runs an over. The 32-year old showed great resistance by giving away only 32 runs in his quota of 4 overs and more importantly picked up the crucial wickets of the Pakistani openers which broke the threatening partnership of 72. Though the pitch will favour the batsmen heavily, the leggie could surely create an impact with the leather.
Match Details
Match: England vs Pakistan 3rd T20I of 3-match series
Venue: Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
Date And Time: 1 September, Tuesday- 22:30 local (IST)
Prediction
The visitors are likely to put up an excellent batting show. But their bowling does not seem to keep up with the batting. The hosts on the other side are capable of chasing down any scores put forward to them. it looks likely for the hosts to win the series comfortably this time around.
Cricwizz Prediction: England to win the match and series 2-0.
