England vs Pakistan 2020, 1st T20I – Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Playing XIs:

England

Tom Banton, Jonny Bairstow(w), Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan(c), Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Tom Curran, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood

Pakistan

Babar Azam(c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi

Match Details

The first match of the three-match T20I series between England and Pakistan will be played at the Old Trafford in Manchester.

This match is scheduled to start at 06:00 PM Local Time (10:30 PM IST) (05:00 PM UTC).

Preview

England won the rain-marred Test series against Pakistan by the scoreline of 1-0. They will look to continue the winning momentum versus the Men in Green in the T20Is. However, their recent record in Manchester is not something that would give Eoin Morgan a tension-free night before the match. 

India and Pakistan tamed England at this venue. The home side batted first in both matches and could not post a big score on the board. Pakistan beat them by 9 wickets, while India won the match by 8 wickets. Pakistan will play their second T20I match at this venue.  

Weather Report

There is a slight possibility of rain in the evening. However, the match would not be abandoned because the skies will stay clear at night. The temperature will stay below 20 degrees Celsius.

Pitch Report

The pitch has been helpful to the batsmen and the fast bowlers. It is easy to play the big strokes, but England has struggled to do well in Manchester. KL Rahul scored a hundred in 2018 at this very venue, while Wahab Riaz picked up 3 wickets against England in 2016. 

Average 1st innings score: 155 (Last five completed matches considered)

Record of Chasing Teams: Won – 4, Lost – 1, Tied – 0

Injury & Availability News

(Will be added when there’s an update)

Probable Playing XIs

England

Tom Banton, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan (c), Sam Billings (wk), Lewis Gregory, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Tom Curran

Bench: Joe Denly, Saqib Mahmood. 

Pakistan

Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain/Shaheen Shah Afridi. 

Bench: Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Naseem, Haris Rauf.

Top Picks

Babar Azam was the leading run-scorer in the Vitality T20 Blast 2019. He has been a phenomenal T20 player and he has expressed his desire to score a T20I hundred in this series. Azam will be the top pick from Pakistan. 

David Willey was in exceptional form against Ireland recently. His left-arm pace and pinch-hitting in the middle makes him a valuable pick for this contest. 

Eoin Morgan was the best batsman from the English team in their last T20I series against South Africa. Morgan scored 136 runs in 3 matches at a strike rate of 170. He will be the player to look out for in the batsman-friendly conditions. 

Captain and Vice-Captain Options

Captain Options – Babar Azam, Eoin Morgan

Vice-Captain Options – Chris Jordan, Imad Wasim

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Jonny Bairstow

Batsmen – Eoin Morgan (c), Dawid Malan, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam

All-Rounders – Lewis Gregory, Moeen Ali, Shadab Khan

Bowlers – Chris Jordan (vc), Tom Curran, Mohammad Amir

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Mohammad Rizwan

Batsmen – Tom Banton, Eoin Morgan, Dawid Malan, Babar Azam (c)

All-Rounders – Moeen Ali, Imad Wasim (vc), Shoaib Malik

Bowlers – Chris Jordan, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Expert Advice

Wahab Riaz returned with figures of 3/18 in the only T20I match he has played at Old Trafford. The English batsmen struggled to play him well and if he gets a place in Pakistan playing XI, Riaz will be the wildcard pick as a multiplier but that can be equally risky. You can go for Jonny Bairstow, otherwise in your Dream11 Fantasy team.

Probable Winners

Pakistan is expected to win this match.

Note: Updated Fantasy teams and Playing XIs of every match will be provided in our Telegram channel if the information is available.

Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.