England vs Pakistan, 1st T20I: Dream 11 prediction, captain and vice-captain best picks

England take on Pakistan in the 1st of a 3-match T20I series in Manchester on Friday, August 28. The hosts are heading into the series on the back of winning the Test series 1-0 against Azhar Ali’s men.

Babar Azam will be leading the Pakistan T20I squad while World Cup-winning Eoin Morgan returns to lead England. The hosts will be hoping to continue their dominance after having beaten Ireland in a 2-match series earlier this month.

However, England will be without their big-hitting opener Jason Roy who has been ruled out of the series with a side strain. Big names, including Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and Joe Root aren’t part of the series. The onus will be on the likes of Morgan and Jonny Bairstow as an array of fresh faces will be hoping to get opportunities in the upcoming series. In the bowling department, England will have a bit more experience with the likes of Chris Jordan, Tom Curran and David Willey being available for selection.

On the other hand, Pakistan have an experienced unit with the likes of Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir joining the side. Babar, the top-ranked T20I batsman, will be looking to make a mark after missing opportunities in the Test series.

England vs Pakistan, 1st T20I Dream 11 team: Fakhar Zaman, Jonnny Bairstow, Babar Azam (captain), Eoin Morgan (vice-captain), Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan, David Willey, Chris Jordan, Mohammad Amir.

Captain: Babar Azam
Vice-captain: Eoin Morgan

Batsmen

Fakhar Zaman and Jonny Bairstow are best picks for openers, considering the absence of Jason Roy. Both England and Pakistan captains, Eoin Morgan and Babar Azam, are going to be automatic picks. Sam Billings, who impressed against Ireland, should be in your XI.

All-rounders

Both teams have plenty of all-rounders — a selection headache for you. While both Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik are seasoned campaigners, Malik is a good choice for your XI. Moeen Ali will be keen on making a mark in the upcoming series while David Willey gets the nod based on form he displayed in the Ireland ODIs.

Bowlers

With quite a few all-rounders available, it becomes tough to pick specialist bowlers. Nonetheless, Mohammad Amir gets the nod along with Chris Jordan in our XI. Wahab Riaz, who was also in the Test squad, is a decent pick as well.

Wicketkeeper

Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan, who impressed in the Test series, is a good pick while Sarfaraz Ahmed, who might get a game considering the workload on Rizwan, can be a good option as well.