England vs Pakistan – 3rd One-Day International Match Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is England vs Pakistan taking place? Tuesday, July 13th, 2021 – 13:00 (UK)
Where is England vs Pakistan taking place? Edgbaston, Birmingham
What is the expected weather for England vs Pakistan? 20-22c, dry with light cloud, but sunny intervals later in the day and a gentle breeze
What channel is England vs Pakistan on? The match will be televised live on Sky Sports
Where can I stream England vs Pakistan? The match can be streamed live via SkyGo
LAST MEETING
England beat Pakistan by 9 wickets
THE TEAM NEWS
ENGLAND
- England sealed a series victory against Pakistan one one match still remaining in the second ODI between the two teams at Lord’s, winning by 52 runs after losing the toss and batting first.
- Half centuries from opener Phil Salt and top order batter James Vince, helped England to a score 247, before the bowlers took over and once again shone brightly, fast bowler Saqib Mahmood proving once again that he would be more than worthy of a place in the first-choice team with figures of 2-21, whilst all-rounder Lewis Gregory backed up his 40 with the bat, by taking three wickets with the ball.
- With the series now won, captain Ben Stokes and head coach Chris Silverwood will surely be tempted to make a number of changes. Batters such as Will Jacks, Dan Lawrence and Ben Duckett, plus bowlers Tom Helm and David Payne have all not featured so far and will be desperate for a rare opportunity to play international cricket.
PAKISTAN
- Despite an improved performance with the ball in bowler friendly conditions at Lords’ Pakistan’s batting let them down once again as they were bowled out for just 195, leading to a second successive defeat against a second string England side.
- Top order batter Saud Shakeel put up some resistance with a half-century, however it was Hassan Ali who showed the most fight for Pakistan, not only picking up a five-wicket-haul but also giving his team a glimmer of hope with the bat after hitting a quickfire 31.
- A number of players within the tourists’ ranks are severely out of form and the likes of opener Imam ul-Haq and all-rounder Faheem Ashraf must find themselves in danger of losing their place for the final ODI of the series.
THE PREDICTION
For England to have already won this three-match ODI series heading into the third game at Edgbaston was an outcome that many certainly wouldn’t have expected when taking into account the quality of Pakistan’s limited overs side. However, the tourists have simply not performed with the bat and have been thoroughly dominated by a team popularly referred to as ‘Ben’s Babes’. As poor as Pakistan have been however, this series can be used as an example of the incredible depth of talent England boast within their white ball ranks, with county cricket competitions such as the T20 Blast played in front of big crowds across the country having prepared many of the players called up at such short notice for a series such as this.
England would dearly love to complete a series sweep, whilst a hurt Pakistan will be desperate to salvage some much-needed pride following a disastrous first two matches. Should the hosts rotate their side then this may upset some of the momentum built up over the series so far and play into Pakistan’s hands. Ultimately however, the fate of this contest likely relies on captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan for Pakistan. Both were dismissed cheaply with the bat in each of the last two ODIs and should either of them get themselves in on a usually good Edgbaston pitch for batting, then they should lay down the foundations for a Pakistan consolation victory here.
