National T20 Cup, 2019: Match 8, Balochistan vs Central Punjab – Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The 8th match of the National T20 Cup 2019 will be played between Balochistan and Central Punjab at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

The match starts at 5:30 PM local time (6:00 PM IST) (12:30 PM GMT)

Preview:

Balochistan and Central Punjab will be facing off on Wednesday night at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. The two teams started with a defeat on the opening day of the tournament while defending targets. However, big totals second time around saw them bagging their first points. Balochistan posted only 140/9 in their first match against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which they lost by seven wickets.

They bounced back with 233/6 against Sindh which fetched them a 53-run win. The posted such a big total with all their batsmen contributing to the scorecard. On the other hand, Central Punjab started with a 3-wicket loss against Sindh despite their skipper Babar Azam’s unbeaten ton. However, they bounced back on Wednesday with a record run-chase of 223 against the Northern where Ahmed Shehzad smashed a ton.

Weather Condition/Report:

The weather forecast for the Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium is clear on Wednesday with no rain is expected.

Pitch Condition/Report:

Scoring became tough on a used track as only 155 was posted by the team batting first on Tuesday night. We might see slightly higher scores on a fresh surface. The night matches usually see big totals at this venue. 170+ is seen as a winning total.

Average first innings score: 177 (Last 8 night T20 games)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 4, Lost – 4

Injury and Availability News:

Hasan Ali inclusion to the playing XI is subjected to fitness.

Probable Playing XIs:

Balochistan:

Imam-ul-Haq, Awais Zia, Hussain Talat, Haris Sohail (C), Imran Farhat, Bismillah Khan (WK), Amad Butt, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Umar Gul, Akif Javed.

Bench: Mohammad Talha, Ali Shafiq, Imran Butt, Shahbaz Khan, Taimur Khan.

Central Punjab:

Babar Azam (C), Ahmed Shehzad, Kamran Akmal (WK), Umar Akmal, Rizwan Hussain, Bilal Asif, Fahim Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Saad Naseem, Waqas Maqsood, Usman Qadir.

Bench: Salman Butt, Hasan Ali, Ahmad Bashir, Ali Shan, Zafar Gohar.

Top Picks:

Amad Butt took a 3-fer and scored 31 in the previous match. During the previous edition, he bagged 16 wickets at an impressive average of 12.06. Imam-ul-Haq is showing his usual consistency in white-ball cricket. She started the tournament with scores of 70 and 25. Awais Zia scored 31 and 77 respectively this season. He amassed 237 runs with one fifty during the previous edition.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – Babar Azam, Ahmed Shehzad, Imam-ul-Haq, Awais Zia

Vice-Captain – Kamran Akmal, Fahim Ashraf, Hussain Talat, Haris Sohail

Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq are consistent performers and will be crucial as a captain or vice-captain yet again.

Suggested Playing XI for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper – Bismillah Khan

Batsmen – Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq (VC), Awais Zia, Ahmed Shehzad (C)

All-Rounders – Amad Butt, Fahim Ashraf

Bowlers – Mohammad Asghar, Umar Gul, Waqas Maqsood, Usman Qadir

Suggested Playing XI for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – Kamran Akmal

Batsmen – Babar Azam (C), Imam-ul-Haq, Awais Zia

All-Rounders – Amad Butt, Fahim Ashraf, Akif Javed, Hussain Talat (VC)

Bowlers – Naseem Shah, Waqas Maqsood, Yasir Shah

Expert Advice:

Haris Sohail is batting slightly low down the order which will cost his effectiveness with the bat. It is the reason why we have not picked him in any of our Suggested XIs. He costs 10 credits which are quite high to spend in a game where most of them are 9.5 and higher.

Probable Winners:

Central Punjab will start as favourites following his record run-chase.

*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.