ENG vs PAK Dream11 Match Prediction Cricket England vs Pakistan 1st Test 5 August

ENG vs PAK Dream11 Prediction: If there is one team that has consistently performed well on English shores in the last decade, it has to be Pakistan. After drawing their last two test series in 2016 & 2018 in similar conditions, Pakistan have arrived in England with some reputation to defend. They are doing a great service to world cricket by playing out a series in such circumstances. There will be no spectators at the ground but whole of cricket world will be watching this series as England are set to have a tougher test this time than their previous opponents. We will preview the match in our dream 11 fantasy cricket.

After landing in England, Pakistan team was in Derby for close to a month and played a series of intra-squad warm up matches. They have a crackerjack of a bowling lineup with a squad oozing with fast bowling talents. Mohammad Abbas was instrumental during the last tour here and he has added even more matches under his belt with stints at Leicestershire in last two seasons. Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has already been compared with some of the all-time greats from Pakistan. After making his debut in November last year, Naseem Shah has made a name for himself in his short international career. But batting lineup is a weak link as usual for this Pakistani side. Apart from captain Azhar Ali, rest of the batsmen have hardly any experience of playing in England. Asad Shafiq and Babar Azam are having high expectations on them to perform overseas. Main challenge for Pakistan will be to maintain same kind of energy throughout the course of the series in a bio-bubble.

On the other hand, hosts are fairly settled in terms of their playing XI. Ben Stokes has had a good week of rest behind him and he is expected to be bowling fit for this test series. That will open up a spot in the playing XI for England and Zak Crawley is expected to take that. Almost all the batsmen have contributed in some substance during their series against West Indies. Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad and James Anderson were relentless in the last game and there are high chances that they will take the field together again.

Pitch and Conditions

Unlike the series against WI, weather has been dry across UK during the last week. There are few showers predicted on the first day of the match but nothing much after that. If it stays that way, there will be less swing and seam movements compared to the last series. Pitch also may become dry and may start to turn from the 3^rd day. An opportunity to reverse the ball will excite the fast bowling cartel of Pakistan without a doubt.  

ENG vs PAK, 1st Test, 03:30 PM IST, 5th August 2020, Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester

Head to Head (Last 5 games)

England: 03

Pakistan: 02

Draw: 00

ENG vs PAK Dream11 Team Prediction

Let’s take a look at the expected lineups in today match prediction.

England Squad

Joe Root(c), Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler(w), Dominic Bess, Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Sam Curran

England Team News

• If Ben Stokes is available to bowl, England would want to strengthen their batting lineup by adding Zak Crawley in the place of Chris Woakes. Having said that, it would be a hard decision to take for the team management.
• Dom Bess will play as a single spinner in the side and he has shown plenty of potential in the last series. Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad and James Anderson will be running in again to conquer another opposition.  
• Jos Buttler will retain wicket-keeping gloves at least for this series but he would be looking to consolidate over his form in the upcoming matches as tour of India is on the horizon early next year.

ENG Playing 11 (Probable)

Rory Burns

Dominic Sibley

Zak Crawley

Joe Root(c)

Ben Stokes

Ollie Pope

Jos Buttler(w)

Dominic Bess

Jofra Archer

Stuart Broad

James Anderson

Pakistan Squad

Azhar Ali(c), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Shadab Khan, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Kashif Bhatti, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Fawad Alam, Sohail Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq,

Pakistan Team News

• As per signals from Misbah, there are high probabilities that Pakistan play with two spinners. If that is the case, Shadab Khan will be the second spinner in playing XI along with Yasir Shah.
• Another headache for team management would be to choose from the plethora of fast bowlers in the squad. Pakistan are most likely to go with the combination of Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah.
• Top-order of Pakistan will share a heavy workload if they play with Shadab Khan at number 7. Captain Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Babar Azam and Asad Shafiq are important cogs in the Pakistani wheel.  

PAK Playing 11 (Probable)

Shan Masood

Abid Ali

Azhar Ali (capt)

Babar Azam

Asad Shafiq

Mohammad Rizwan (wk)

Shadab Khan

Yasir Shah

Mohammad Abbas

Shaheen Shah Afridi

Naseem Shah

ENG vs PAK Dream 11 Prediction Today Cricket Match

WK: Jos Buttler
Batsmen: Joe Root, Rory Burns, Ollie Pope, Babar Azam, Shan Masood
All-rounders: Ben Stokes
Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Yasir Shah

Captain Picks

For Small Leagues

• Ben Stokes is a special cricketer and he is in form of his life for last two years. A world-class all-rounder at peak of his powers should be your first choice captain’s pick in your fantasy team. His last five performances are 20, 78*, 176, 46, 43 with the bat and he has taken a total of 9 scalps in the WI series.
• Stuart Broad is riding high on confidence after his ‘Man of the Series’ outing against WI despite missing first match of the series. He has recently completed 500 test wickets and he will be eager to run through the Pakistani batting order in the upcoming series. He has 16 wickets from just a couple of matches this English summer.
• Babar Azam can mesmerize cricket fans with his pleasing stroke-play. He has remained consistent over the last two years for Men in Green. He has also taken his performances a notch up in overseas conditions and Australia tour last year is the example of that.

For Grand Leagues

• Rory Burns has been termed as next ‘Alastair Cook’ in English circles. This 29 years old Surrey opener has been as resilient as they come at the batting crease. With useful contributions this summer, he is set to have a quality series against Pakistan. His last five scores are 57,90,15,42 and 30.
• Shaheen Shah Afridi has impressed everyone in his limited exposure to the international cricket. His ability to move the ball late can bamboozle batsmen even of the highest order. He is almost certain to start for Pakistan and can be your captaincy material. He has 30 wickets from 8 test matches so far.
• Jofra Archer will remain critical to English plans against young batting lineup of Pakistan. He also has a point to prove in terms of consistent performances in one series after another. The combination of pace and movement along with a nippy bouncer, Jofra Archer has everything in his arsenal.

Who will win Eng vs Pak Today Match Prediction?

Betting odds for this test match can be found out from various global websites. After studying the same and looking at the other aspects, England are primed as favourites for this test match. Pakistan will find it hard to compete in English conditions this time around is the general opinion. Draw is the second possible result due to few showers during the match ahead of a Pakistan win, as per our Dream 11 prediction.