PAK vs ENG Match Preview- 1st T20I, Pakistan tour of England 2024
Published - 22 May 2024, 05:51 PM | Updated - 22 May 2024, 05:52 PM
Table of Contents
The PAK vs ENG T20I series starts with the first T20I in Headingley on May 22. The series ends on May 30 with Pakistan needing to announce their T20 World Cup squad as well in the meantime. Teams can name their squads and make changes until May 25 as directed by the ICC.
PAK vs ENG Date and Venue
The PAK vs ENG first T20I will be played at Headingley, Leeds on May 22. The match starts at 11 pm IST.
PAK vs ENG Match Preview- 1st T20I, Pakistan tour of England 2024
Pakistan
Pakistan are heading into this series after leveling the series against New Zealand 2-2 and beating Ireland 2-1. The squad will have a few players returning to the team for the series against England. Pakistan played the final of the T20 World Cup 2022 against England and eventually lost it.
They do not have a good record against England losing 19 games and winning just nine. Haris Rauf and Azam Khan who missed the T20I series against New Zealand recently are back in the squad. Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir are also available for this series.
Pakistan Squad
Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan
England
Several England players are back from the IPL to play the series. Jos Buttler, the England skipper along with the likes of Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, and Phil Salt were the players who played for different franchises in the IPL. KKR RR and even RCB will miss a key player from England for this series.
Playing at home, the hosts would take this series as the perfect dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup. Michael Vaughan, the former England skipper said that the series would give the players to gel well and set a goal for themselves, especially after failing to defend their ODI World Cup.
England Squad
Jos Buttler (C), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt (WK), Reece Topley, and Mark Wood
Also Read: Watch- Arshdeep Singh makes a weird request to Abhishek Sharma's mother after SRH beats PBKS
PAK vs ENG Key Battles
Jos Buttler vs Mohammad Amir
Amir is back in the Pakistan squad after turning back his retirement and will be up against Jos Buttler who will open the batting for England.
Babar Azam vs Jofra Archer
The inclusion of Archer in the squad is a sign of the fact that he is well and truly fit to play. He will be up against Babar Azam and will be targeting his wicket.
Liam Livingstone vs Shadab Khan
The England big-hitter came back from the IPL to focus on his knee injury. He is a part of the squad too and will have a role to play for his side in the series and the World Cup. Shadab Khan is a good match-up for the big-hitter.
PAK vs ENG Key Players
For England, Jos Buttler and Phil Salt are the key batters on form. With the ball, Archer, Wood, and Adil Rashid will be key.
For Pakistan, Babar and Rizwan will be key with the bat. With the ball. Amir, Shaheen Afridi, and Shadab Khan will be key.
PAK vs ENG Weather and Pitch Report
The venue has hosted just four T20I games to date with the average first innings score being 200. Teams batting first have had an edge in the contest and hence captain who wins the toss would ideally like to bat first.
Talking about the weather, there is a 96 percent chance of rain during the daytime. The match starts at 6.30 pm local time around which the temperatures will be around 12 degrees and will be chilly and cold due to the rain. There will be "Considerable cloudiness with a little rain" during the match time as well. It might well be a rain-affected contest.
Conclusion
England are third while Pakistan seventh on the ICC T20I rankings heading into this series. England and Pakistan were the finalists of the T20 World Cup 2022.
