National T20 Cup 2021: Match 22, Balochistan vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - Preview, predicted XIs, pitch report, weather forecast, match prediction and live streaming details
Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will lock horns in the 22nd match of the National T20 Cup 2021 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday.
Balochistan are struggling in the competition. They have played six games so far, winning only two. Balochistan faced Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in their last match where they suffered a heavy loss. They will be hoping for a much-improved performance in their upcoming fixture.
After being asked to bat first, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa posted a mammoth 202 on the board. The Balochistan bowlers struggled as they only managed to pick up five wickets. It was a big task for the batters and Sohail Akhtar tried his level best but they fell short by 55 runs, having managed to score only 147.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, meanwhile, are having a good time in the competition. They have won four of the six games played. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa won against Balochistan but failed to carry the winning momentum as they suffered a loss against Northern in the following game.
Northern scored 181 after being put in to bat. Shaheen Shah Afridi was good with the ball for Kyber Pakhtunkhwa. The batters started the chase cautiously and Iftikhar Ahmed scored fifty but couldn’t chase the total as the team fell short by 14 runs. It was a good contest but the batters failed to fire in unison. They will be hoping to get back to winning ways in the upcoming clash.
Match Details:
Match: Balochistan vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Match No.22, National T20 Cup 2021
Date and Time: October 7, 2021, Thursday, 08:00 PM IST
Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Weather Report
Clear skies will greet both sides on Thursday. Temperatures are expected to range between 23 and 36 degrees Celsius. There is no chance of rain and we can expect a full game to be played on Thursday.
Pitch Report
The pitch at Gaddafi Stadium is a bit on the slower side. It will assist spinners from both sides and the batters need to be patient while playing the strokes on this surface. Once set, the batters can hit through the line.
Predicted Playing XIs
Balochistan
The bowlers have failed to step up for them in the competition. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa posted a mammoth total on the board as the bowlers struggled to pick up wickets. The batters have put up decent performances but everyone needs to fire in unison to stay in contention for qualifying for the semi-finals
Predicted XI: Abdullah Shafique, Abdul Bangalzai, Bismillah Khan (c & wk), Haris Sohail, Sohail Akhtar, Mohammad Mohsin, Amad Butt, Kashif Bhatti, Umaid Asif, Khurram Shahzad, Junaid Khan
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed have been good with the bat. Shaheen Shah Afridi has been very good with the ball so far. The other batters need to step up in their next fixture against Balochistan.
Predicted XI: Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Israrullah, Sahibzada Farhan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Afridi, Musadiq Ahmed, Adil Amin, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Imran, Arshad Iqbal, Imran Khan
Match Prediction
The last time the two sides met, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Balochistan comfortably. Balochistan are struggling to compete and need to be at their best to challenge Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who are going strong at the moment.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, despite losing their last game, look strong on paper and one may expect them to continue their winning run over Balochistan on Thursday.
TV and live streaming details:
TV: N/A
Live Streaming: Cricket Pakistan’s YouTube channel