ENG vs PAK Dream11 Prediction (3rd T20I): 3 players you can pick as captain or vice-captain for today's match
After the first T20I between Pakistan and England was washed out due to rain, the two teams participated in an absolute thriller in the next game at Old Trafford.
After the visitors put up an imposing 195/4 in their 20 overs on the back of captain Babar Azam's 56 and Mohammad Hafeez's 36-ball 69, England's top order fired on all cylinders to take their team over the line with 5 balls to spare. Jonny Bairstow scored an attacking 44, while Dawid Malan and skipper Eoin Morgan notched up stroke-filled fifties.
Pakistan need a win in this game to salvage a draw in the series, and they will have to be at their best against an England side that is almost unbeatable in white-ball cricket.
Ahead of the highly anticipated contest, we take a look at 3 players who could be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the ENG vs PAK match-up.
#3 Tom Banton
Tom Banton could manage only 20 runs in the second T20I vs Pakistan, but his recent form suggests that he could really score big in this game. In the first T20I in which only 16.1 overs were possible, the 21-year-old picked apart the visiting spinners to register a 42-ball 71 - an innings studded with 4 fours and 5 sixes.
With the pitches for these games assisting spin, Banton's wide array of sweeps and reverse sweeps could completely take the game away from the opposition. With England assured of not losing the series, there will be no pressure on him to perform, and this could be the perfect opportunity for him to solidify a place in England's white-ball teams, or at least the T20I team.
With Bairstow next to him to take some of the pressure off, Banton is a certain candidate to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the ENG vs PAK 3rd T20I.
#2 Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali's recent form does not point to him doing well in this game. In his last 4 innings for England spread across formats, the all-rounder has scores of 0, 1, 8 and 1, as well as zero wickets.
However, Ali is far too good a cricketer to miss out on many games in a row, and this makes him an excellent differential pick for this game. The 33-year-old has been entrusted with a lot of responsibility by England, and has been given the new ball frequently on pitches that assist turn.
Ali is also highly adept at playing spin, and could be promoted up the order to neutralise the threat of Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim. His recent form and numbers do not lend weight to this claim but if you are willing to take a risk, you could be in for a massive points haul in the ENG vs PAK 3rd T20I.
#1 Babar Azam
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been under a lot of flak lately for not living up to expectations in the recently concluded Test series against the same opposition. In the 3rd T20I, with the series on the line, he will have to lead from the front for his team.
Azam is all but guaranteed to play a long innings, with the likes of Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez playing aggressively around him. This low-risk game, as well as his scores of 56, 63*, 47 and 69 in his last four international innings, make him a perfect captaincy choice in your Dream11 team for the ENG vs PAK 3rd T20I.
The No. 1 T20 batsman in the world will be out to prove his detractors wrong and if England attempt to make a few changes to their playing XI to test out new options ahead of the upcoming limited-overs leg against Australia, Azam could majorly benefit.