England vs Pakistan | 2nd T20I at Old Trafford - Statistical Preview
On Sunday, England and Pakistan will face off against each other in the second T20I, if rain gods allow that to happen after rain played the spoilsport in the first T20I. While England will be pleased with Tom Banton’s brilliant batting display, Pakistan will look to be less sloppy on the field.
Form guide
England - W W L W W
In the 16.1 overs that were possible in the first match of three, England batsmen, apart from Tom Banton and David Malan, looked uneasy at the crease against Pakistani spinners. If it wasn’t for Pakistan’s dropped catch of Banton in the second over, England would have struggled to achieve a respectable total. Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler’s absence was quite evident as English T20 batting lineup looked quite ordinary against a disciplined Pakistani attack. As the bowlers didn’t get to bowl a single delivery, their form still remains in question, but given the home advantage, they are likely to perform well. Despite star players not available and batting lineup not quite looking set, the team would favor themselves to continue their winning streak of two years in bilateral T20Is.
Pakistan - W W L L L
Pakistani bowlers started the proceedings in an incredibly disciplined manner but were let down by their fielders. Shaheen Afridi and Imad Wasim started the proceedings quite well and were later joined in by Shadab Khan and Mohammad Amir. Their bowlers look in-form to trouble English batsmen but it is their fielding which is the concern, except Mohammad Rizwan, who seems set on the journey to becoming a world-class keeper. Nothing can be said about their batting as it is quite unpredictable when they would show up. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are their in-form batsmen and both would look to get Pakistan to a decent total.
Key Batsmen
England- Tom Banton
After a dazzling 42-ball 71, Banton would be backing himself to get England off to a flying start. Having played just 4 T20Is, the young batsman is relatively new to the international circuit but has a reputation to cause havoc on the opposition bowlers. He showed glimpses of the player he is known to be and would look to continue from where he left off. Hence, he would be the key batsman for England upfront in their encounter against Pakistan.
Pakistan- Babar Azam
The stylish batsman would look to lead his team from the front and continue his amazing run of three fifties in his last five T20I appearances. Averaging 80 with a strike-rate of 150.94 against England, he will certainly be the most wanted wicket for England. He would look to anchor the innings for Pakistan in the overcast conditions of Manchester. Babar scoring runs becomes absolutely essential if Pakistan is to win.
Key Bowlers
England- Adil Rashid
Although he didn’t have a great series against South Africa, taking just 2 wickets in 3 matches at an economy of 9, the leg-spinner, who has a knack of taking crucial wickets, would be vital for England as the wicket in Manchester looks to be on the slower side. Along with Moeen Ali, he forms a dangerous duo for Pakistani batsmen, with him being the attacking option. England will look to properly utilize him as he can be the key to the home side winning.
Pakistan - Imad Wasim
Having taken 18 wickets post the T20 World Cup 2016 in the first six overs - second-most behind Mujeeb - he will be important to get Pakistan off to a flyer in the bowling department. Adding to that, a combination of the England batsmen struggling to play spin and the slow nature of the wicket will mean that Wasim will look to take advantage of the conditions as he did in the first match, where he picked 2 wickets for 31 runs. He will certainly be the trump card for Pakistan.
Venue Statistics
Old Trafford has historically been on the slower side and has favored spinners. In the last match as well, 4 out 6 wickets were taken by spinners and it goes to show the importance of the slower bowlers on this pitch. With the highest total being 163 by India against England over the last 4 years, anything around 160 will be a par score. The economy rate of spinners at the venue since 2017 in T20s has been 7.27, while seamers have conceded 8.57 per over. England has had a mixed experience at this venue, having played 8 matches, winning 3 and losing 2 games. Pakistan, on the other hand, has played two games, grabbing 1 win and the last one being washed out.
1XBET Predictions
Given the past history of the ground and overcast conditions, it will very unlikely that team batting first will be able to cross the score of 160. 1xBET offers 1.72x return if the team batting first scores under 160 runs.
England Predicted XI: 1 Tom Banton 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk) 3 Dawid Malan 4 Eoin Morgan (capt) 5 Sam Billings 6 Moeen Ali 7 Tom Curran 8 Lewis Gregory 9 Chris Jordan 10 Adil Rashid 11 Saqib Mahmood
Pakistan Predicted XI: 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Shadab Khan, 4 Haider Ali, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Mohammad Rizwan/Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 7 Iftikhar Ahmed, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Shaheen Afridi
Venue: Emirates, Old Trafford, Manchester.
When to Watch: Aug 30 - 6:45 PM IST
Where to Watch: Sony Six, Sony Liv and Jio TV