England vs Pakistan Prediction: England aiming to dominate

England and Pakistan are going head to head in the 1st Match of the T20 Series at Headingley, United Kingdom on 22 May 2024. England will be looking for a dominating performance in the first game of the tournament. Who will win this game of cricket?

England holds the third spot in the ICC's men's T20I team rankings. They have won two T20 World Cup titles and are gearing up to defend their championship this year. The openers consisting of Phil Salt and Jos Buttler will play crucial roles in the upcoming series against Pakistan. They have recently participated in the Indian Premier League. Salt outperformed Buttler in the tournament, with both players ranking second and eighth in the ICC's T20I men's batter rankings, respectively. England's pace bowling unit poses an intriguing challenge, with Jofra Archer and Mark Wood facing uncertainties due to injury concerns. The team's success may heavily rely on the fitness of key bowlers like Reece Topley and Sam Curran.

Jos Buttler (captain), Phil Salt (wk), Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow, Will Jacks, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Reece Topley.

Pakistan's upcoming series with the new limited-overs head coach Gary Kirsten will mark a significant milestone for the team. Kirsten, who has coached India and South Africa with great success in the past, faces a new challenge in helping Pakistan improve their recent performance. The journey begins with the first T20I against England. Pakistan will be relying on promising players like Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali, who have been recalled after their recent success against Ireland. Pakistan will need to focus on both scoring runs and taking wickets while playing against mighty England. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are ranked among the top four batters in men's T20I cricket by the ICC, will be key players to watch in this series.

Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Azam Khan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

The upcoming match at Headingley in Leeds will mark the return of T20I cricket to the venue after not hosting a match since 2021, when England played against Pakistan. Pakistan won the toss in that match, opted to field first, and ended up losing. Headingley is not known for high-scoring games. First-innings score of around 180 could be competitive. The conditions may favor both teams playing two spinners each, a strategy Pakistan is likely to utilize regardless of the conditions. Rain is expected on matchday, which could benefit the team chasing a revised target if the match is shortened. With the advantage of playing at home and having a stronger bowling lineup, England is favored to defeat Pakistan in the T20I series opener. England also boasts a deeper batting lineup. Get behind the favorites England as they take on underdogs Pakistan in this upcoming match.