ENG vs PAK: World Cup Finalists England & Pakistan Reunited As Prep For 2024 Edition Begins

Spread the love

England (ENG) are gearing up to face Pakistan (PAK) in the four-match T20I series. The first T20I is set to be played on Wednesday, May 22, at Headingly, Leeds.

Notably, the English(ENG) team will reunite for a T20I series after a five-month break. The Three Lions played a five-match T20I series against the West Indies in December 2023. After that series, a bunch of cricketers was engaged in various franchise cricket tournaments around the world. Some players are now joining the national team directly from their participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season.

On the other hand, Pakistan will be high on confidence after their recent series victory. The Babar Azam-led side is coming off a brilliant T20I series win from their recently concluded Ireland assignment. They defeated the hosts by a 1-2 margin and will be looking to carry the same momentum against another host side.

ENG vs PAK Head-to-Head Record

Matches Played	29
Won by England	19
Won by Pakistan	09
No Result	01

ENG vs PAK Headingly, Leeds Pitch Report:

The surface at Headingly provides an even contest between bat and ball. The surface offers a good pace, allowing batters to play their strokes freely, while giving batters full value for their shots. In the initial stages, the seamers can extract some movement off the pitch, helping them to make early breakthroughs. As the match progresses, the spinners come into play and can be influential. The team that wins the toss will look to bowl first.

The biggest question mark concerns the weather. It was overcast in Leeds on Tuesday, and the forecast suggests rain through much of Wednesday.

ENG vs PAK Big picture

The last time England played Pakistan in this format, nearly 90,000 people turned up to watch, with a global audience potentially in the hundreds of millions. It came at the MCG in the 2022 T20 World Cup final, and as the Pakistani tears and wild English celebrations demonstrated, what was on the line mattered.

That won’t quite be the case at Headingly on Wednesday, and not only because the Yorkshire weather might put paid to the possibility of a game altogether. A lot has happened in the following year and a half, and little of it has served to bolster these sides’ credentials as World Cup champions and runners-up.

The two have won a combined two T20I series out of a possible nine, each boasting sizeable losing records since they played at the MCG. They were both eliminated from the following ODI World Cup at the first hurdle. England’s match-winner from that warm Melbourne night isn’t currently a part of the T20I setup, while Pakistan’s captain was briefly dethroned before inexplicably having the crown handed back to him a few months later.

It’s risky to judge a team solely on T20I results in bilateral games; even this series, after all, serves almost entirely as a warm-up to the T20 World Cup less than a fortnight away. But given their struggles in T20I cricket, both teams would benefit from a series win and are duly taking the series extremely seriously.

England haven’t played a T20I all year, though they did take on upcoming World Cup co-hosts West Indies in a five-match T20I series in December. What Jos Buttler’s side want to avoid is a repeat of their calamitous ODI World Cup with a similarly disjointed T20 World Cup defence. England were so keen to get their full squad together they risked the ire of the IPL by recalling them well in time, and Jofra Archer has been managed in a way to allow him to return for his first T20 game in over a year just in time for the lead-up to the World Cup.

Pakistan’s frenetic administrative setup and impassioned fanbase mean they never quite have the luxury of not taking any international seriously, but with the World Cup around the corner, a bilateral T20I series could scarcely matter more. Pakistan, after all, remain the only one of 20 teams not to have announced their World Cup squad yet; they will wait as long as possible – until after the first game of this series – to make it official, ensuring they make decisions based on maximum information.

And that World Cup, ultimately, is the direction every aspect of this series will be slanted towards. That night at the MCG assures both teams they have what it takes to stand atop the mountain, and though Leeds isn’t close to that peak, it may well be an important stepping stone.

ENG vs PAK Team news

England will not rush Liam Livingstone back as he recovers from a minor knee issue. Mark Wood has not played since March and will be managed through the series due to a knee niggle of his own, which is not considered serious. Buttler has confirmed that he will keep wicket.

Having eschewed the opportunity to include Mohammad Haris in the squad, Saim Ayub’s return to form cannot come soon enough with this game the last Pakistan play before the official squad announcement. Rauf is expected to return, making this potentially the first time since the Asia Cup that he has featured alongside Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah.

ENG vs PAK In the spotlight

A year since his last T20, and four since his last international game on English soil. Jofra Archer will be the unquestionable star attraction at Leeds after captain Jos Buttler confirmed he would make a much-anticipated return in the first game.

After a prolonged injury nightmare, it appears England have finally managed to nurse Archer back to full fitness, and the way his team-mates talk about him, he’s as formidable a prospect as he ever was. Sam Curran mentioned the value of the “fear factor” his extra pace instills in the opposition, and an overcast Headingly may well be the ideal occasion to ease him in.

Pakistan, too, have an express pace bowler returning from injury who is expected to start in this game after an extended layoff. Haris Rauf has had a tumultuous last six months, beginning with a board dispute that saw him lose his central contract, followed by a shoulder injury during the PSL, and ultimately the reinstatement of aforementioned central contract.

He was part of the group that travelled to Ireland but wasn’t fit enough to get a game. By all accounts, his injury has healed faster than the initial prognosis, and a pace-off between two of cricket’s most fear-inducing bowlers is worth tuning in for.

ENG vs PAK Stats and trivia

England won more T20I games at the 2022 World Cup (5) than they have in the 18 months since (4).
Babar Azam has 46 wins as T20I captain, more than any other international captain.
Both captains are close to approaching personal batting milestones. Babar is 45 runs away from becoming the second player to 4000 T20I runs, while 73 more would see Buttler become the first Englishman to 3000.

ENG vs PAK Probable Playing XIs

England (ENG):

Jos Buttler (C & WK), Phil Salt, Jonny Bairstow, Will Jacks, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Reece Topley

Pakistan (PAK):

Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan (wk.), Imad Wasim, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Abbas Afridi

ENG vs PAK Fantasy XI: Jos Buttler (C & WK), Phil Salt, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam (c), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Iftikhar Ahmed

ENG vs PAK Probable Best Performers

Probable Best Batter: Babar Azam

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam could be the best batter in the upcoming game against England. Azam’s recent performances against Ireland have been nothing short of remarkable, where he scored 132 runs across three matches, and was the joint-highest run-scorer in the series. His performance will be crucial for the visitors as they will be against an experienced England side.

Probable Best Bowler: Chris Jordan

England’s bowling all-rounder Chris Jordan could be among the pick of the bowlers in the upcoming game against Pakistan. The 35-year-old is regarded as a specialist bowler in T20I cricket. Jordan has been valuable for England during the crucial middle and death overs of an innings. His ability to deliver effective slower deliveries in the middle overs, along with his expertise in executing yorkers at the end, has made him a crucial asset to the team.

ENG vs PAK Match Prediction

Scenario 1

England win the toss and opt to bowl.

Powerplay score: 50-60

First Innings Score: 180-190

England win the match.

Scenario 2

Pakistan win the toss and opt to bowl.

Powerplay score: 60-70

First Innings Score: 190-200

England win the match.

Also Read: IND vs ENG: “Side Arm Specialists In India Need To Work Hard To Prepare Batters For Tough Times”- Abhishek Jain Gives His Invaluable Insights