Ramiz Raja joins Nikhil Naz to pick a fantasy XI for the second T20I between England and Pakistan (7:42)
England v Pakistan, 2nd T20I, Manchester
NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates, so do wait for the toss before finalising your XI.
Our XI: Tom Banton, Babar Azam, Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, Fakhar Zaman, Ifthikar Ahmed, Sam Billings, Imad Wasim, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Shaheen Afridi
Captain: Babar Azam
Just as we had for first T20I, we will go with Azam as captain again. It is hard to argue, seeing that Pakistan didn’t bat in the first game. But if you’re willing to take a risk on Tom Banton keeping his form up in this match, then there might be a slightly better pay-off given he generally scores quicker than Azam.
Vice-captain: Eoin Morgan
Morgan is in good form and even if the top order does a lot of batting, he is well-placed in the England line-up to drive the second half of the innings.
Top picks
Jonny Bairstow: Bairstow’s form has been up and down recently, but the highs have all been impressive ones. He’s had to jump between formats and maybe that has affected his form, but you can back Bairstow to come good every two or three innings in this format.
Shaheen Afridi: Was tidy at the start for Pakistan in the first game and his full lengths combined with all the variations he possesses give Pakistan a good chance of taking early wickets to rattle England.
Tom Banton: The opener seized his chance in the absence of Jason Roy and showed that he can hold his own even when the pressure builds around him. As mentioned earlier, if you think he can bat about 40 balls in this game, he will make a good choice for captain too.
Value picks
Ifthikar Ahmed: He’s an experienced player who has shown glimpses of a good temperament in his short career at the international level so far. He can roll his arm over too, as he showed with the wicket of Morgan in the first match. A handy value pick.
Chris Jordan: Jordan is the most experienced fast bowler in this England line-up and a renowned player in this format. As a slog-overs expert, you could bank on him putting pressure on a Pakistan line-up that doesn’t boast too many specialists in the lower-middle order.
Point to note
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There is a good chance that the two teams will go with the same line-ups as the first match given that a full match wasn’t possible, but keep an eye out for changes in the England top three and Pakistan’s fast bowling line-up
Source: ESPN Crickinfo