Eng vs Pak 3rd T20I.
Eng vs Pak 3rd T20I. Image Credit: X

England will lock horns with Pakistan for the third of the four-match home T20I series. The Eng vs Pak encounter will take place on May 28, 2024, at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. The home side is coming into this game on the back of their second T20I victory at the Edgbaston in Birmingham.

The first T20I game of the series was washed out due to persistent rain at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds, which delayed the comeback of Jofra Archer back in the England shirt for about three years, while his return at home was pushed back for around five years.

Both England and Pakistan won’t be playing any warm-up games, apart from these Eng vs Pak T20I series, going into the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which is set to take place at the West Indies and the United States of America (USA). This increases the importance of the series for both camps to use their players in a better shape going into the world event.

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During the second Eng vs Pak T20I clash, the visiting side’s captain Babar Azam won the toss and opted to bowl first, to extract a little swing with the new ball, sing his two left-arm pacers, Mohammad Amir and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Both started well, as Phil Salt had to return to the hut on a cheap score.

But they couldn’t hold the England batting for a long time. Both the England captain Jos Buttler, and Will Jacks began to smash the bowlers in all corners of the park. Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim, who was coming back in the series after taking his retirement plans back was bowling tightly. The concern for the away team, however, was how Shadab Khan struggled in the fixture, going for 55 runs without a wicket in his four overs.

Buttler ended up with 84 runs in the afternoon to carry the home side to 183/7 in their allotted 20 overs, as Wasim returned with figures of 2/19 in four overs.

Pakistan, in reply, lost their opener Mohammad Rizwan on the third ball of the innings as he looked to show intent and whack Moeen Ali from the beginning. Saim Ayub looked out of touch, but Babar and Fakhar Zaman stabled the innings with a 53-run third wicket stand, as the left-handed batter nailed 45 runs in 21 balls.

Despite that, Pakistan missed a bit of power during the Eng vs Pak first T20I, towards the end in their lower middle order, as they kept on going with the shots, and getting out on a constant basis. England was boosted with how beautifully Jofra Archer bowled for his figures of 2/28 in four overs, while he also managed to field brilliantly to clear any speculation over his fitness issues.

The Eng vs Pak third T20I game at Cardiff will be really essential for the Pakistan side, to keep them alive in the series.

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Last Five Matches for ENG vs PAK:

In the last five Eng vs Pak face-offs, England are ahead with a 4-0 margin, with the first game of the series ended on a washout result. Last time Pakistan got the better of England in the shortest format of the game, the year was 2022.

ENG vs PAK Teams:

England

Eng Probable XI: Jos Buttler (c & wk.), Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Chris Jordan/Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley.

Pakistan

Pakistan Probable XI: Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan (wk.), Imad Wasim, Iftikhar Ahmed/Irfan Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir/ Naseem Shah, Harris Rauf.