Preview:
In an unprecedented situation after several members of the England squad tested positive for COVID-19, ECB has a named fresh squad ahead of the ODI series, which is led by Ben Stokes. Nine uncapped players have got their maiden call-up for the national side.
Meanwhile, Pakistan last played an ODI in April, when they toured South Africa and clinched the 3-match series 2-1. Fakhar Zaman had a terrific series with the bat scoring 300 plus runs. It’s a perfect opportunity for them to win a series as they are playing against the second string team of Englabnd.
Match Details:
England vs Pakistan, 1st ODI
Venue: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Date & Time: July 8th, at 5:30 PM IST and 1:00 PM Local Time
Live Streaming: Sony Sports Network
Pitch Report:
The teams chasing have a history of winning more matches here. It’s a flat deck with a good carry and bounce. The bowlers should use the short balls very effectively on this wicket. Anything over 280 will be a competitive score.
Also Read: Reports: Angelo Mathews considering retirement from international cricket
Probable Playing XIs for ENG vs PAK:
England
Philip Salt/ Ben Duckett, James Vince, Dawid Malan, Zak Crawley, Ben Stokes (c), Daniel Lawrence / Will Jacks, Lewis Gregory, Jake Ball, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson, David Payne
Pakistan
Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi
Top Picks for ENG vs PAK Dream11 Match:
Top Picks – Batsmen
Zak Crawley is an elegant batter who times the ball really well. He is in pretty good form. having scored 281 runs in this year’s T20 Blast.
Babar Azam is not new to typical England conditions. He has played a lot of matches, including both international and county games here. His style of game suits the ODI format more than any other format. The Pakistani skipper has accumulated 3808 runs in his ODI career, at an average of 56.83.
Top Picks – All-Rounders
Ben Stokes wasn’t included in the initial squad as he was recovering from injury, but in a major development, he was announced as the captain for the Pakistan series. He is a big match player and will be leading the England side for the first time in the ODIs, although he had led the side once in the Test in the absence of Joe Root.
Shadab Khan will definitely come in handy in these conditions. He uses his variations quite well, which may trouble the English batters. He is a useful contributor with the bat also.
Top Picks – Bowlers
Saqib Mahmood has prior experience playing at the International level. He regularly clocks 140 kph, which is his biggest strength. He has played 4 ODIs and has picked up 5 wickets, with the best figures of 2 for 36.
Haris Rauf is an underrated bowler who had a good series against South Africa, where he ended up as the joint leading wicket-taker with 7 scalps.
Top Picks – Wicketkeepers
Mohammad Rizwan had scored plenty of runs in Test and T20I formats and averages more than 40, but he averages only 28.59 in the ODIs. He will be aiming to better his ODI stats and we can back him to do well in this series.
ENG vs PAK Must Picks for Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
| Player | Statistics (career stats) |
| Ben Stokes | 2817 runs and 74 wickets |
| James Vince | 322 runs and one wicket |
| Mohammad Rizwan | 772 runs |
| Babar Azam | 3808 runs |
| Fakhar Zaman | 2262 runs and one wicket |
Suggested Playing XI No.1 for ENG vs PAK Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
Mohammad Rizwan, James Vince, Babar Azam (c), Zak Crawley, Fakhar Zaman, Ben Stokes (vc), Shadab Khan, Jake Ball, Saqib Mahmood, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali
Suggested Playing XI No.2 for ENG vs PAK Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
Philip Salt, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Dawid Malan, Zak Crawley (vc), Fakhar Zaman (c), Ben Stokes, Faheem Ashraf, David Payne, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
ENG vs PAK Risky Captaincy Choices:
Philip Salt averaged 52.4 with the bat in this year’s T20 Blast and he is exceptional behind the wickets as well. He is a risky captaincy choice for your fantasy teams.
Player you should avoid:
Since too many options in the all-rounder’s slot, it’s better to avoid Mohammad Nawaz while making your fantasy teams.
