ICC World Cup 2019 | Pakistan’s predicted XI for their match against England
Pakistan slumped to a disappointing seven-wicket loss against the Windies in their WC 2019 opener and could manage to score just 105 before being bowled out. Sarfraz Ahmed & Co. will hope to bounce back and cause a major upset by beating favourites England at Trent Bridge on Monday.
Openers
Imam-ul-Haq: Still just 23, Imam-ul-Haq will serve as one of the crucial pillars in the Pakistan batting line-up as he averages around 58 from 29 ODI matches. The disastrous opening game against the Windies will put some added pressure on the young Pakistan batsman.
Fakhar Zaman: Left-handed Fakhar Zaman will be anxious to put behind the dismal performance in the loss against West Indies when Pakistan take on England on Monday. Averaging 50, Zaman’s strike rate of 98 will give the Pakistan fans some confidence when they take on the three lions.
Middle-order
Babar Azam: Azam is to Pakistan what Virat Kohli is to India. There have been times in the recent past when the talented batsman has scored a century while the rest of the batting order collapsed around him. He will definitely be the key man against the likes of Jofra Archers and Ben Stokes.
Mohammad Hafeez: A veteran of 211 ODIs, Hafeez has more than enough experience on the big stage with the national team. However, he needs to step up his game improve upon his strike rate of 76 in the coming weeks if Pakistan want to win.
Shoaib Malik: A former Pakistan captain, Malik is definitely towards the end of his career on the international stage. But it remains to be seen if the talented 37-year old middle-order batsman can turn back the clock and produce a gem of an innings against the home team on June 3.
Sarfraz Ahmed(C)(WK): 32-year-old Ahmed is not one of the most elegant batsmen on the international stage but certainly has the ability to play some big knocks down the order. An average of 35 shows that the wicket-keeper cum batsman can sustain the innings in the middle overs which will prove crucial against England.
All-rounder
Imad Wasim: Wasim will essentially play the role of a finisher for Pakistan boasting a strike rate of 107. Wasim, born in Swansea, is also a slow-left arm bowler and will help out the Pakistan bowling attack in the middle overs.
Shadab Khan: Shadab Khan, still aged 20, was part of the Pakistan team that won the 2017 Champions Trophy in England. Since then, he has established himself as a bowling all-rounder in the Pakistan limited-overs team and is expected to find a spot in the playing XI against England too.
Pacers
Mohammad Amir: Amir was a last-minute addition to the Pakistan World Cup squad and will be their key fast bowler in England this summer. A tally of 63 wickets from 52 ODIs and an economy rate below 5 proves that Amir certainly has the ability to do well against Eoin Morgan & Co.
Shaheen Afridi: The youngest player in the Pakistan team, Afridi has already notched up 24 wickets from 14 ODI matches. An economy rate of below 6, means that Afridi will be handed the responsibility of keeping the English batsmen quiet at Trent Bridge.
Hasan Ali: Ali, still 24, has already notched up 80 wickets from 50 ODI matches for Pakistan. However, he failed to get a wicket in the disappointing loss against West Indies but will look to bounce back against the home team on Monday.
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