Match Details:
The 22nd match of the National T20 Cup will be played between Balochistan and Central Punjab at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.
The match is scheduled to start at 7: 30 PM local time (8:00 PM IST) and will be streamed on the Pakistan Cricket Youtube channel.
Preview:
Balochistan and Central Punjab will face each other in the twenty-second match of the league stage. Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will host the contest between the two teams. When these two teams last met in this tournament, Balochistan won the match by mere 3 runs. This will be the third consecutive match for Balochistan in a span of 3 days. Imam-ul-Haq’s 92* runs from 60 balls went in vain as Balochistan lost their previous match against Sindh on Sunday. With 4 wins and 3 losses, they are now placed 2nd in the table with 8 points.
Meanwhile, Central Punjab are placed 5th in the table with 2 wins and 5 losses. They didn’t have the greatest of tournaments as expected, but they will be hoping to turn the table around in the remaining 3 matches. They lost their previous match against Sindh by 3 wickets. The Batting department looks more balanced with the return of Babar Azam. He has scored 172 runs in 2 matches in this tournament with a match-winning knock of 86* against Northern. If Babar gets going at the top, Central Punjab will have more chances to gain 2 points against Balochistan.
BAL vs CEP Weather Report for Match 22:
The skies will be clear in Rawalpindi with the temperature ranging between 21 and 23 degrees Celsius. The chances of precipitation for this match is low.
Pitch Condition/Report:
Looking at the last few matches played on this ground, the pitch looks good for batting and it is conducive for the bowlers as well. Overall it’s a good sporting track, whoever wins the toss should look to bowl first.
Average first innings score:
171 (Last 5 matches played on this ground)
Record of chasing teams:
Won – 4, Lost – 1, Tied – 0
Injury and Availability News:
Naseem Shah has been ruled out of the tournament due to a hamstring niggle and he has been replaced by Waqas Maqsood.
BAL vs CEP Today’s Probable Playing XIs:
Balochistan
Awais Zia, Abdul Bangalzai, Imam-ul-Haq, Bismillah Khan (wk), Haris Sohail (c), Akbar-ur-Rehman, Yasir Shah, Khurram Shehzad, Amad Butt, Umar Gul, Akif Javed
Bench:
Kashif Bhatti, Umaid Asif, Imran Farhat, Taimur Khan, Usama Mir, Imran Butt
Central Punjab (Pakistan)
Kamran Akmal (wk), Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafiq, Faheem Ashraf, Rizwan Hussain, Saad Nasim, Qasim Akram, Zafar Gohar, Waqas Maqsood, Usman Qadir, Ehsan Adil
Bench:
Ahmed Bashir, Bilal Asif, Irfan Khan, Ali Shan, Sohaibullah, Abid Ali, Akhlaq Ahmed
BAL vs CEP Top Picks for Today’s Dream11 Match:
Imam-ul-Haq has been consistent at the top for Balochistan, scoring 287 runs at an average of 71.75 with a strike rate of 147.17, which includes 3 half-centuries.
Awais Zia is one of the main performers for Balochistan with the bat, scoring 218 runs at an average of 36.33 with the highest score of 92*.
Central Punjab skipper Babar Azam has scored 172 runs in 2 innings at an average of 172 at a strike rate of 163.8. He has the highest score of 86*.
Abdullah Shafiq is the leading run-scorer so far for Central Punjab, scoring 255 runs at an average of 42.5 which includes one century and a half-century.
Veteran Kamran Akmal has scored 180 runs in 7 innings at an average of 25.7 with a strike rate of 138.46.
Ehsan Adil has picked up 11 wickets in 6 matches at an economy rate of 8.89 runs per over.
Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:
Captain Options – Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq
Vice-Captain Options – Abdullah Shafiq, Awais Zia
Suggested Playing XI No.1 for BAL vs CEP Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
Keeper – Kamran Akmal
Batters – Haris Sohail, Awais Zia (vc), Abdullah Shafiq, Babar Azam (c)
All-Rounders – Amad Butt, Faheem Ashraf
Bowlers – Akif Javed, Yasir Shah, Usman Qadir, Ehsan Adil
Suggested Playing XI No.2 for BAL vs CEP Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
Keeper – Bismillah Khan
Batters – Imam-ul-Haq (c), Haris Sohail, Awais Zia, Abdullah Shafiq (vc), Babar Azam
All-Rounders – Amad Butt, Qasim Akram
Bowlers – Yasir Shah, Akif Javed, Usman Qadir
Expert Advice:
Both the team’s batting top order looks formidable and they are performing consistently throughout this tournament. Hence, it is advisable to pick the most number of top-order batters in your Dream11 Fantasy team.
Today’s BAL vs CEP Probable Winners:
Central Punjab are expected to win this match.
