ENG vs PAK 4th T20I: The stage is all set for the last and a must-win match for Pakistan of the four-match T20I series between England and Pakistan. Iconic Kennington Oval, London is set as the hosting venue which has been historically a fast-bowlers paradise. Considering the pitch report and conditions, we have come up with some key battles to watch out for in ENG vs PAK 4th T20I.
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England are already one up in the series after winning the second T20I by 23 runs played at Edgbaston, Birmingham. It is pretty certain that they are not going to lose the series but one thing they would like to do is win the series. If they win the fourth T20I, they will take the series to their name.
However, Pakistan can’t afford to lose this match. They are on their heels at this stage but they would certainly want to cook a win just before entering the ICC T20 World Cup Arena.
The weather forecast for London today is overcast and rainy during the daytime. There is a window after 7 PM (GMT) when the weather goes a bit light and hopefully, we will see some action on the ground. England will be the happier side even if the match gets called off as they are already leading the series.
Now, the pitch report of London’s Kennington Oval tells that the surface is again going to be loved by fast bowlers. The team winning the toss often opts to bat first even if there is early help for bowlers clearly but batting second in the pitches here has been even harder as the chasing teams have won 7 and 10 went to the batting first teams.
The pacer’s eyes will light up as they see the green tint of the pitch, overcast weather, and humidity in the air, and below are the Team updates and key battles to watch out for in ENG vs PAK 4th T20I:
Teams Updates
England might look to rest Jofra Archer and Mark Wood may get an appearance. This is because England at some stage of the T20 World Cup might look to play both players in the same match and for this, you need to give both of them equal match time.
Other news was that Buttler might also miss the 4th T20I as he is not with the squad due to family medical reasons. This might impact England but they have got good bench strength to cover it up.
Key battles to watch out for in ENG vs PAK 4th T20I
- Babar Azam vs Jofra Archer/ Mark Wood
This battle is going to be one of the most interesting battles to watch out for in the 4th T20I. However, Babar loves the pace on the ball but that extra bounce from both bowlers might put up challenges against Babar. In the second T20I, Babar hit Jofra Archer for a four in the second ball, and that lit up the fire to the competition.
- Phil Salt vs Shaheen Shah
Phil Salt has been England’s go-through player in 2024. He is currently the second-ranked player in the ICC T20I batting rankings. A right-handed opener and Shaheen Shah is against him! This is a gem of the contest in itself. Shaheen hasn’t been successful against Salt in the past but also hasn’t eaten runs.
There are a couple of more interesting battles in the ENG vs PAK 4th T20I like Topley vs Saim Ayub, Rauf vs Will Jacks and more.