ENG vs PAK 1st T20 Match Prediction & Betting Tips
Headingley is the venue for the first England versus Pakistan T20I on Wednesday evening. This match is the first of three in the series which is taking place just ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup and sees the two finalists from the 2022 T20 World Cup going head to head! Read on as we preview this game which begins in Leeds at 18:30 local time on May 22nd.
England will be looking to this three match T20I series to generate some momentum and team spirit ahead of the T20 World Cup. Many of their players have been in action for different sides in the 2024 Indian Premier League so they must come together quickly and we expect them to do so in this game.
After losing to Ireland in the opening T20I of their series earlier this month, Pakistan responded well to secure the series across the final two matches. However, they are likely to find England a much tougher opponent starting with this opening fixture.
England vs Pakistan 1st T20 Match Live Streaming
TV channels: You can watch this match live on Sky Cricket and Sony Sports.
Live Streaming: The fixture will be live-streamed on SkyGo, NowTV and on Sony Liv.
ENG vs PAK Match Toss Prediction
The only previous T20I at Headingley was won by the team batting first and with the weather looking uncertain we expect both captains to want to bat first if they win the toss ahead of this match.
ENG vs PAK Pitch Report
This pitch usually turns for the spinners but with plenty of cloud cover there should be a lot of movement for the quick and swing bowlers. A par score is likely to be no higher than 175 – 180 in this opening game of the series.
Leeds Weather Report
The forecast for Leeds on Wednesday afternoon and evening is not currently very promising. There is a high chance of rain throughout with the temperature no higher than 14 degrees.
Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds, and match prediction for England vs Pakistan 1st T20 2024
England Team News & Playing 11
ENG Team News
With the 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup the same who have been selected for this series, we expect to see England pick their strongest side for this game. That could mean a return to international duty for pace bowler Jofra Archer who last played at this level in March 2023.
ENG Key Players
- Phil Salt- the top order batter had an excellent 2024 IPL campaign for Kolkata Knight Riders and left the franchise with them top of the table.
- Jos Buttler- the England skipper will be keen to get up to top form ahead of the T20 World Cup and he is not far away after two unbeaten centuries during the 2024 IPL for Rajasthan Royals.
- Adil Rashid- the experienced leg-spinner has taken 107 T20I wickets with 4x two-wicket hauls. He is not afraid to slow his deliveries down and give the ball plenty of flight to tempt batters into errors.
- Jofra Archer- the right-arm pace bowler is one of the most feared quick bowlers in the world and England fans will be desperate to see him operating back at 100% in this game.
ENG Team Form
England lost their last T20I back in December but won the previous two games by large margins against West Indies.
England Predicted Playing 11
Jos Buttler (c) (wk), Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley
Pakistan Team News & Playing 11
PAK Team News
Captain Babar Azam talked about the team leaving Ireland after strong practice and bringing lots of positives to England for this series. No injuries were sustained during the previous three games so Pakistan arrive with a fully fit squad.
PAK Key Players
- Babar Azam- the 29 year old averages over 41 in T20I cricket and will come to the wicket at Headingley requiring 45 more runs to bring up 4000 in T20Is.
- Mohammad Rizwan- the top order batter was the joint top scorer for Pakistan during the series with Ireland after scores of 75 not out and 56 in the final two games.
- Shaheen Shah Afridi- the opening bowler took the Player of the Match Award in the third T20I against Ireland and took three wickets in both of the last two matches.
- Abbas Afridi- the 23 year old right-arm medium fast bowler will be looking to maintain his levels from the Irish series which saw him take two wickets in each of the three games.
PAK Team Form
Pakistan come into this series after winning three of their last four matches in this format.
Pakistan Predicted Playing 11
Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam (c), Azam Khan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir
England vs Pakistan Head to Head
England are targeting their fourth successive victory over Pakistan in this format and also lead the overall head to head 19-9 after 28 T20I matches between the sides.
ENG vs PAK Head to Head Stats in T20s
| Matches Played | ENG Won | PAK Won | Tie | NR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 28 | 19 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Last 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
England vs Pakistan Betting Odds
Ahead of the first home international of the summer in England, it is the hosts who are the favourites at 1.50 with the bookies. Pakistan are the outsiders at 2.62.
Who will win England vs Pakistan 1st T20 Match?
As both of these sides reached the T20 World Cup Final in 2022, there is no doubt that there is plenty of quality in both squads. After the series against Ireland and England players in the IPL, everyone should be game-ready and we have England as the top side due to home advantage.
🏆 England vs Pakistan Prediction
This looks set to be an excellent series between two teams who will travel to the USA and Caribbean with genuine hopes of winning the 2024 T20 World Cup. Both sides have top international players with bat and ball and we are expecting a close opening match of the series. However, we think England have the better batters for the conditions so we are backing them to win.
