ENG vs PAK Match Prediction, 3rd T20I: Who will win today’s match? – CricTracker

Preview:

England will be facing Pakistan in the third T20I at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Tuesday, May 28. In the 2nd T20I at Edgbaston, England won by 23 runs, with standout performances from captain Jos Buttler, Will Jacks, Moeen Ali, and Jofra Archer. This win gave England a 1-0 lead in the four-match T20I series. Pakistan will aim to bounce back and put on a strong performance against the hosts.

England will rely on in-form players such as opening batter Phil Salt, along with newcomer Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, and all-rounder Moeen Ali to score the bulk of the runs. Notably, regular skipper Jos Buttler is set to miss the third T20I due to paternity leave. As a result, Moeen Ali has been handed the captaincy mantle in his absence. This would mean that England will most likely play allrounder Sam Curran and can push Jonny Bairstow to open the innings with Phil Salt. On the other hand, Pakistan will look to pacers Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, and Haris Rauf, as well as spinners Imad Wasim and Abrar Ahmed to dismantle England’s batting lineup.

Match Details

Match	England vs Pakistan, 3rd T20I
Venue	Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Date & Time	Tuesday, May 28, 07:00 pm IST
Live Broadcast and Streaming	Sony Sports Network, SonyLIV (app and website)

Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Pitch Report

The deck at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff is expected to display consistent pace and bounce. Initially, there may be some seam movement due to surface moisture, favouring the fast bowlers. However, as the game progresses, it is anticipated to become a favourable batting pitch. It is noteworthy that the Cardiff pitch tends to retain moisture and does not typically dry out over time while limiting the potential for a significant turn for spinners.

ENG vs PAK Head-to-Head Record

Matches Played	31
Won by England	20
Won by Pakistan	09
No Result	02
First-ever Fixture	August 28, 2006 (PAK Won)
Most Recent Fixture	May 25, 2024 (ENG Won)

ENG vs PAK Probable Playing XIs

England:

Philip Salt, Jonny Bairstow, Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali (c), Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley

Pakistan:

Saim Ayub, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan/Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir

ENG vs PAK Probable Best Performers

Probable Best Batter:

Talented batter Will Jacks has had a fantastic IPL 2024 for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He was at his best when he took Gujarat Titans bowlers to the cleaners to notch up his maiden IPL century. As the Pakistan spinners have been displaying under-par performances and Jacks is one who punished the spinners well, expect mayhem if he gets going in the upcoming T20I fixture.

Probable Best Bowler:

Shaheen Shah Afridi was the standout bowler for Pakistan in the previous game, taking three wickets for 36 runs in his four overs. As a left-arm seamer, he has the potential to be very effective if there is some swing early on in the game. The overcast conditions could further enhance his pace, making him a strong candidate to take early wickets for Pakistan.