PAK 139/1 in 14.5 ovs | Pakistan vs England Live Score, One-off T20I : PAK win by 9 wickets

Hello and Welcome to CricketCountry’s coverage of the One-off Twenty20 International (T20I) between Pakistan and England at Old Trafford in Manchester. England clearly have the momentum with them after winning the One-Day International (ODI)series 4-1, while Pakistan will be high on confidence winning the final ODI of the 5-match series. Pakistan will want to round off a decent tour of England. Pakistan drew the four-Test series 2-2 led by Misbah-ul-Haq and lost an one-sided ODI series led by Azhar Ali. Pakistan’s T20 side will be lead by Sarfraz Ahmed who has taken over the reins from Shahid Afridi, who was dropped from the side post WT20 in India. England will see a wholesale changes in the side, while Pakistan will almost be the same side from the ODI series. Live Cricket Scorecard, Pakistan vs England, One-off T20I at Old Trafford

Eoin Morgan along with coach Trevor Bayliss have problems of plenty on their hands, when it comes to the team selection. A number of players awaiting a chance to shine on international stage. England management might have to slow down a few budding careers for the time being and put their best foot forward. With as many as 5 players returning in the T20I side it calls for danger for Pakistan. England since the last one year or so have been dead serious about their ODI and T20I side, reaching the final of the ICC WT20 in India in April. Joe Root, Mark Wood, Ben Stokes, Sam Billings and Jason Roy, England are expected to come out with all guns blazing. Influx of Roy, Hales, Billings and Jos Buttler have brought a sense of urgency in the team, and much-needed aggression. With the returning Stokes England have a balanced lower middle order batting, with the likes of Moeen Ali and Liam Plunkett looking in good form with the bat. England even though have an inexperienced bowling unit, in Plunkett, Wood and Tymal Mills they have bowlers who could pace out any batting unit. Moeen and Adil Rashid’s spin has always been a dark horse for them with both players chipping in key wickets at crucial moments.

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Pakistan on the other hand, face a truck load of problems right from the balance in batting to the inconsistency off their bowler’s. Pakistan have had a knack of having their top-order imploded time and again on this tour with absolutely no-one standing in the face of adversity. The batting have been dependent upon the middle-order, to be specific, Sarfraz Ahmed. The wicketkeeper-batsman showed his true potential in the ODI series delivering some great knocks. He was at times supported by the senior pro in the team Shoaib Malik, who played a good hand in the final ODI match which Pakistan won. Much like Pakistan’s batting their bowling has been all about Mohammad Aamer. Even before the start of the tour, Aamer was the center of attraction of the whole cricketing world. Frankly he show in both the Test and ODI was nothing to boast off. All-rounder, Imad Wasim has been the find of the tour for Pakistan, as he showed his talent with the bat in the ODI series, even though did not make any seizable contributions with the ball, he could be groomed into another Shahid Afridi. Another player who has impressed one and all is Hasan Ali, picking up as many as 8 wickets in the 5 ODIs he featured in against England.

Another incoming player for Pakistan who can have an impact on the match is Sohail Tanvir. His presence in the squad will boost their confidence. Tanvir had a wonderful Caribbean Premier League 2016 campaign playing for Guyana Amazon Warriors, who were the runner-ups of the tournament. England  have used their home advantage to the fullest, playing accordingly in different grounds and constructing strategies against a lack-luster Pakistan side. Old Trafford so far has hosted six T20Is in the history. The last game at this venue was a high scoring clash where England scored 191 and asked the visting New Zealand to chase down 192 runs. The hosts eventually won the match by a healthy margin of 57 runs against visitors. As far as this one-off T20I is concerned, it is expected to be a run-fest.

A number of record are on stake from both Pakistan and England’s side. 2. Buttler needs 84 runs more to complete his 1,000 T20I runs, while skipper Morgan requires 54 runs more to complete his 1,500 T20I runs. Shoaib is also 32 runs away from his 1,500 T20I run. Out of 13 T20Is played between England and Pakistan, hosts have won on 10 occasions, which includes one tied game as well, which was won in an one over eliminator scenario. Pakistan have only won on three occasions.

England will embark the tour of Bangladesh after this match, where they play a couple of Tests and three ODIs. The conditions will be nothing like what it has been at home, but they seem to be up for the task. Pakistan on the other hand will play a three-match T20I and three-ODI series against West Indies in the UAE after the England tour.

Squads:

England: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler (wk), Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Mark Wood

Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (c&wk), Khalid Latif, Sharjeel Khan, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Aamer, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Sohail Tanvir, Amad Butt