England vs. Pakistan Dream11 Prediction: 3 players you can pick as captain or vice-captain for the 1st ODI - July 8th, 2021
In what can be termed as rather bizarre, an unforeseen England side, led by Ben Stokes, will face Pakistan in the first ODI at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Thursday.
The original England squad, which Eoin Morgan was captaining, has been sent into isolation after seven members (three players and four support staff) of the contingent returned COVID-19 positives tests.
The new-look England squad has as many as nine uncapped players. There are a few, like Jake Ball and James Vince, who have represented England before.
To put it bluntly, though, this is not a squad that would inspire a lot of confidence in the English camp, even if they are a highly optimistic bunch.
For Pakistan, the unfortunate events in the England camp present a great opportunity for them to ride home the advantage. They have a good balance of young and experienced players who can definitely make a difference.
England squad: Ben Stokes, Jake Ball, Danny Briggs, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Lewis Gregory, Tom Helm, Will Jacks, Daniel Lawrence, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Matt Parkinson, David Payne, Phil Salt, John Simpson, James Vince
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir
Here are three players who can be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the first ODI between England and Pakistan.
#3 Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan)
Although he did not have a great run in PSL 2021, Fakhar Zaman has been one of the most consistent performers for Pakistan the one-day format. His record speaks for itself.
The Pakistan opener has smashed 2262 runs in 50 matches at an average of 49.17 with six hundreds.
Looking at his recent form in the format, it has been nothing short of exceptional. Zaman hammered a sensational 193 off 155 balls in the second ODI against South Africa in Johannesburg.
Although the knock came in a losing cause, Zaman was still named man of the match for the sheer quality of the performance.
The left-hander followed it up with another ton in the next game. His 101 off 104 balls came in a memorable triumph as Pakistan clinched the three-match series 2-1.
The visitors will need Zaman to fire against England. A brisk start from him could put the inexperienced English bowling line-up under pressure.
#2 Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Pakistan captain Babar Azam knows that he is a vital cog in the present batting outfit along with Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan. If the trio perishes cheaply, even the relatively new England bowlers can cause some damage.
Pakistan has, in fact, collapsed in the recent past, when the prolific trio has not fired. As captain, Azam will want to make a mark early on in the series.
He will go into the first ODI high on confidence, having finished PSL 2021 as the leading run-getter - 554 runs in 11 games at a strike rate of 132.54. Rizwan is next on the list with exactly 500 runs from 12 games.
If we observe his recent international performances, Azam has been superlative in this regard as well. In fact, in his last 11 ODI innings, Azam has crossed three figures four times.
On two occasions, he has been dismissed in the 90s, including his most recent ODI against the Proteas, and there is also an unbeaten 77 in there.
#1 Ben Stokes (England)
It was a blessing in disguise for England that Ben Stokes wasn’t part of the bio-bubble with the original squad; otherwise, England would have been in an even deeper hole.
Following his recovery from a finger injury, which ruled him out of the IPL after just one game, Stokes turned out for Durham in the T20 Vitality Blast.
While he did not do anything exceptional with the bat, he did manage to score a 35 and also registered two scores in the 20s.
With the ball, he claimed 4 for 27 against Bears and 2 for 37 against Northants, utilizing his medium pace to good effect.
Stokes will look to awaken the champion in him, given the massive challenge that lies ahead. The all-rounder himself admitted in his column for The Mirror:
“I only packed clothes for three days away from home.”
Stokes can be expected to lead from the front, though. During the 2019 World Cup in England, he wasn’t the captain of the team but kept taking the responsibility at key junctures, including in the final.
Stokes knows what would be expected of him given the inexperience in the team and would be keen to deliver.