History will be stitched on the 20th of September as the England cricket team will finally play their first game in Pakistan after more than 17 years. The England team infamously canceled their tour to Pakistan last year due to a terror threat in the nation. But now they have landed in the country for a seven-match T20I series ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia next month.
Pakistan is coming off a good showing at the Asia Cup 2022 where they finished the tournament in 2nd place. The Men in Green will be looking to continue their momentum against the Three Lions in the build-up of the mega event.
The home team Pakistan included a few surprising selections in their squad as they named uncapped wrist spinner Abrar Ahmed and all-rounder Aamir Jamal. The selectors finally included left-handed batter Shan Masood in the squad after the dashing batter scored over 1200 runs in global leagues including T20 Blast and PSL this year.
However, the responsibility of the team will lie on the shoulders of captain Babar Azam and wicket keeper Mohammad Rizwan who have scored nearly 60% of their team’s runs in the past two years. Hence, the two batters are booked to be Pakistan’s top batter in the series by bookmaker bet365 with odds of 3.40 and 3.60 respectively.
Pakistan Top Run Scorer Odds
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 19, 8:00 P.M (GMT)
As for the visitors, team England was dealt a big blow as their skipper Jos Buttler was ruled out for the series due to an injury. All-rounder Moeen Ali is set to take up the leadership role in Buttler’s absence.
However, big news from the English camp is the return of Alex Hales to the squad. Alex Hales was infamously dropped from the team three years ago after he failed his second dope test. Since then, Hales has been a top run scorer in global T20 leagues like the PSL, The Hundred, and the BBL and has forced the selectors to pick him again in the side.
Alex Hales’ excellent form in the T20 leagues this year has made him the top English batter with bookmaker bet365 as he is priced with the odds of 4.33. Former World No. 1 ranked batter Dawid Malan also stands at 4.33 while young Will Jacks is in third place with the odds of 4.75.
England Top Run Scorer Odds
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 19, 8:00 P.M (GMT)
England’s recent form in the T20I series has not been great as they have lost their last two series that were played in their home conditions. Hence, Pakistan starts the series as favorites with the odds of 1.66 compared to England coming in as the underdog at 2.20.
Pakistan vs. England T20 Series Winner Odds (outright)
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 19, 8:00 P.M (GMT)
The first four games of the series will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi on the 20th, 22nd, 23rd, and 25th of September. The final three T20I matches will be held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. All games will begin at 2:00 p.m. (GMT).
The Pakistan crowd will finally be able to witness the England team’s stars play in their country and it will be interesting to see how the English team fares out in Pakistan as 17 years is a long time!
