ENG vs PAK: 3rd T20I Preview – Pakistan aim to end tour on winning note

After three Test matches and two T20I matches, the second international cricket tour after the coronavirus pandemic break will wind down in England. The home side is currently leading the 3-match T20I series by 1-0 and will be eyeing an unbeaten streak against Pakistan in this summer. Babar Azam and his men will seek a happy ending to their sojourn with a victory against the world’s second-ranked T20I team. Their first innings total of 195 proved inadequate to secure a win in the second T20I. The Men in Green will be hoping to put up a better performance.

Match Info

England vs Pakistan: 3rd T20I – 1st September

Old Trafford, Manchester (10:30 PM IST)

The series is likely to end with a decisive encounter as the Manchester weather is clear for cricket. The chances of rain are minimal and we should have a full game. The pitch is likely to be batting friendly and another high scoring encounter is expected. The English team is comfortable in operating in such conditions and are likely to persist with them.

Head To Head:

Key Facts To Look Out For:

Team News

England:

David Willey and Joe Denly were the men missing out in the first T20I from England’s squad of 13. Banton and Jonny Bairstow opened the innings as expected with Dawid Malan and Eoin Morgan batting in the next two spots. Moeen Ali, Sam Billing and Lewis Gregory are expected to be the floaters and their batting order will depend on the match situation and how the opposition bowlers are operating. Tom Curran, Adil Rashid and Saqib Mahmood will complete the line-up.

Pakistan:

A few spots will be under the scanner in the Pakistani camp. Their opening pace bowler Shaheen Afridi proved to be expensive as he conceded 44 runs in his 3.1 overs. The bowler is yet to pick up a wicket in this series, and he could be benched in favour of the more-experienced Wahab Riaz. Mohammad Amir bowled only two overs in the 2nd T20I and was injured in the latter half of the game. Naseem Shah is another prospect that Azam will have a look at.

Iftikhar Ahmed, the all-rounder was expensive with the ball and did not have much to do with the bat. Pakistan could give an opportunity to Haider Ali. The young ferocious hitter grabbed eyeballs in the Pakistan Super League.

Probable XI