England vs Pakistan 2nd T20I Prediction: Who will win today's match?
After pulling off an upset for the ages in the series opener, Pakistan face off against England in the second T20I at Headingley on Sunday, July 18.
Trent Bridge's short boundaries and the absence of several first-choice England bowlers helped Pakistan post a whopping 232 in the first innings. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan played scintillating innings before the middle order joined in on the fun. David Willey was the most economical England bowler at 9.75, proving just how merciless the Pakistan batsmen were.
Although Liam Livingstone recorded England's fastest T20I hundred and Jason Roy came up with a decent cameo, the hosts eventually fell short by 31 runs. Mohammad Hasnain and Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled fiery spells in trying conditions, while Shadab Khan was expensive but scalped three wickets.
The series is on the line for England, who take great pride in their white-ball credentials. The defending ODI World Cup champions will look to take the series into a decider, with the T20 World Cup drawing closer and closer. Pakistan, on the other hand, will eye their fourth T20I series win on the trot.
England vs Pakistan 2nd T20I Prediction: Can Pakistan seal the series at Headingley?
Trent Bridge, as one of the few grounds in England with short boundaries and little assistance for new-ball bowlers, is an anomaly - one that Pakistan exploited to the fullest in the first ODI. Can the Men in Green come up with another complete performance, this time at Headingley? They certainly have the personnel to do so.
Azam and Rizwan are probably the most dangerous T20I opening combination in the world at the moment, with Fakhar Zaman demoted to No. 4 as a result of their pyrotechnics. But Zaman scored 26 off just 8 balls in the series opener, playing a vital cameo alongside Sohaib Maqsood and Mohammad Hafeez. Young Azam Khan had only three balls to face on his Pakistan debut, but he too maximized his time in the middle by smacking a boundary.
Almost all Pakistan batsmen appear to be in good nick. However, with a few of them batting outside their preferred positions, they might be thrust into an unknown situation on a less friendly track.
The bowling attack was led by Afridi and Hasnain, but it was a fairly comprehensive all-round display in the first ODI. Every Pakistan bowler picked up a wicket, coming up with dot balls at key junctures of the England innings. The absence of a reliable sixth bowler is a slight cause for concern, but Hafeez could step in if needed.
England's power-packed batting lineup couldn't come to the party at Trent Bridge, with an almost insurmountable required run rate preventing them from playing their natural game. Dawid Malan's brief rough patch continued, while Moeen Ali made just one run after earning a promotion to No. 4. Others like Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan threw away starts, giving Lewis Gregory and David Willey too much work to do lower down the order.
But England's real problem in the previous game was in the bowling department. Every bowler used leaked runs on a consistent basis, with both wickets and dot balls being hard to come by. Matt Parkinson's attacking leg-spin couldn't provide breakthroughs, reminding England of the value of regulars like Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer.
England could chop and change ahead of the second T20I. Players like Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid and Chris Jordan are on the bench, while Malan's place as an opener is far from guaranteed. Morgan's form is an issue, but there's no doubt that his men will continue to play the brand of cricket that has brought them immense white-ball success over the last few years.
As we all know, it would be criminal to write England off in any white-ball series, especially against a team as inconsistent as Pakistan. If the hosts can see the back of Azam and Rizwan early, they could use their batting firepower to pull level in the series.
Prediction: England to win the second T20I against Pakistan