THE OVAL: The fourth T20I between England and Pakistan will be played at the Oval in London on Thursday.
England took a 1-0 lead in the four-match series, won the second T20I, and the first and third T20Is in Leeds and Cardiff were washed out due to rain respectively.
Despite Saim Ayub’s poor form lately, Pakistan wants to include him in the playing XI. However, before the T20 World Cup, there were discussions among the management regarding the replacement of Saimi Usman Khan. If selected, Usman will open alongside Multan Sultans teammate Mohammad Rizwan, while captain Babar Azam will play at No.3.
In the middle order, there are wicketkeepers like Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan, power hitters like Iftikhar Ahmed and batsman Imad Wasim, giving the team a solid base to run and accelerate the innings when needed.
Pakistan is likely to follow the four-man pace led by Shaheen Afridi and supported by Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Amir.
Shadab Khan, who conceded 55 runs in four overs without taking any wickets in the first T20I, is expected to be replaced by Naseem Shah due to poor performance and extreme conditions expected on Thursday. However, if the weather improves, Abrar Ahmed can be expected to give him some time before the T20 World Cup.
England took a 1-0 lead in the four-match series, won the second T20I, and the first and third T20Is in Leeds and Cardiff were washed out due to rain respectively.
The fourth and final T20I will be played at London Oval on Thursday.
However, the weather forecast indicates that there is a possibility of heavy rain during the day.
AccuWeather reports a 65 percent chance of rain in the afternoon and a 49 percent chance for the game, which is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. local time.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that the team will hold a training session at the Oval on Wednesday from 2 PM to 4 PM.
