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England took a 1-0 lead over Pakistan following victory at Edgbaston this past weekend, but will be without captain Jos Buttler on paternity leave as the series moves to Cardiff on Tuesday.
DATE/TIME: Tuesday 28th May 2024, UK – 18:30 / PAKISTAN – 22:30 / INDIA – 23:00 / US EST – 13:30 / US PST – 11:30
VENUE: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, Wales
WEATHER: Grey skies with a chance of rain across the scheduled hours of play and temperatures of around 15c.
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UNITED KINGDOM – Sky Sports / PAKISTAN – Ten Sports / INDIA – Sony Sports / UNITED STATES – Willow TV / AUSTRALIA – Fox Sports
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UNITED KINGDOM – Sky Go / PAKISTAN – Tapmad
ENGLAND FORM: ARCHER BACK WITH A BANG AS ENGLAND TRIUMPH WITH TEN WICKETS IN BIRMINGHAM
After setting Pakistan 184 to win thanks largely to skipper Jos Buttler’s 84 from 51 balls opening the batting, England bowled their opponents out for 160 in response, Jofra Archer taking two wickets on his return to international cricket in a game which saw all England bowlers utilised picking up at least one wicket.
LAST FIVE: WALWW
PAKISTAN FORM: FOLLOWING DEFEAT ON SATURDAY, TOURISTS NEED BACK-TO-BACK WINS TO CLINCH SERIES
Pakistan lost two early wickets chasing 184, which left them chasing the game early on and in the end they failed to break through the shackles imposed upon them by England, losing regular wickets and eventually bowled out for 160, leaving them 1-0 down in the series with two more matches to play.
LAST FIVE: LAWWL
ENGLAND BETTING ANALYSIS
England are set to be without their top-scorer from the weekend as Jos Buttler has left the squad with the birth of his third child imminent. Vice-captain Moeen Ali will step in to lead the hosts, although it’s the top order which bettors should focus on from an English perspective.
Will Jacks batted at number three for RCB in the recently concluded IPL and looked very comfortable playing the same role for his country, scoring 37 from 23 balls in the second T20i. The Surrey stars’ ability to clear the boundary is fearsome and leads to a fast accumulation of runs. Those looking for a riskier investment that offers a higher reward should look at backing Jacks to score the most match 6s for England.
Both Reece Topley and Jofra Archer were in the wickets last time out and both offer significantly different, but equally as effective skillsets. Topley’s left-arm pace variations are complemented by Archer’s rockets and Topley especially has a welcome knack of picking up crucial scalps when required. Utilise the ‘Bowler Total Match Wickets’ market and back Topley to add to his three scalps on Saturday with over 1.5 wickets on this occasion as well.
PAKISTAN BETTING ANALYSIS
Haris Rauf bowled with searing pace across the second T20i and was rewarded with two wickets. This next encounter will see him bowl on a ground where he was afforded success last year in the Hundred playing for Welsh Fire. Expect him to maintain his good start as he continues to prove his importance to Pakistan ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup and consider backing him to take 2+ wickets via the ‘Bowler Milestones’ market.
Whilst Babar Azam struck a fine 32 at Edgbaston, he didn’t convert it into the big individual score that was needed, which will no doubt be something fresh in his mind when he comes to the crease in Cardiff. His superb ability with the bat should counter the England bowlers and warrants backing to score over 29.5 match runs.
Fakhar Zaman demonstrated his power batting at number four, hitting 45 from 21 balls including eight boundaries (five 4s and three 6s). Batting down the order hasn’t stopped him freeing his arms at every opportunity and being a left-armer provides a valuable point of difference to his side. Explore investing in Fakhar to score over 0.5 match sixes in the third T20i.
ENGLAND VS PAKISTAN EXPERT PREDICTION
The forecasted rain may well have a part to play in the outcome of this one and whoever wins the toss are likely to bowl first as a result. But should England end up batting at any stage, Pakistan will pose a big threat from a bowling perspective, mainly through their pacers and Shaheen Shah Afridi in particular.
Like Haris Rauf, the left-arm quick has experience bowling at Sophia Gardens having done so for Welsh Fire in the most recent edition of the Hundred. Shaheen’s three wickets at Edgbaston underlined his quality, especially at the death as England looked to try and score quick runs. Whilst the result here could go either way with the toss crucial and inclement weather looming, it looks a smart play to back Shaheen to pick up over 1.5 wickets across the contest.
ENGLAND VS PAKISTAN TIP: SHAHEEN SHAH AFRIDI TO TAKE OVER 1.5 MATCH WICKETS