PAK v WXI, 2nd T20I, Preview: Pakistan look to take an unassailable lead in the series

The excitement was at its peak ahead of the historic series between Pakistan and World XI as international players were set to take the field for the first time in 8 years in Pakistan. The first match has been done and dusted which was won by the home team by 20 runs and now the onus is on the visiting World XI to keep the series alive. They looked a little bit wayward and clueless at times during the first match which often happens with such teams. On the other hand, Pakistan would love to continue from where they left on Tuesday and seal the first series victory for a long time in front of their home crowd.

Pakistan was solid with the bat in their first encounter in Lahore since 2009 as Babar Azam played a splendid knock. Other batsmen chipped in and made sure they post a hefty total. The bowling looked good but with some flaws in it. The pace battery was not convincing as they were taken for runs by the opposition batsmen. Spin department, as it often does for them, did a fantastic job and strangled down the likes of Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and David Miller. Once again, the responsibility will be on them in case the seamers fail.

World XI side led by du Plessis, looked a little bit jaded which is expected after being rushed to the country only a day before the game. Though, they have to turn it around quickly and take the series to the decider on Friday. Thisara Perera was ordinary with the ball as he leaked 51 in his four overs and was taken for 21 runs in the final over. Few changes could be expected as Samuel Badree might be included given the success of slow bowlers in the last game. They also looked a batsman short as the Australian George Bailey could find himself in the eleven.

Toss: Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first

Captains quotes

Sarfraz Ahmed: We will bat. The conditions are good, we have made the changes. Hasan has a back issue, so (Usman Khan) Shinwari comes in. Mohammad Nawaz is (also) playing today (for Fahim Ashraf). These are forced changes. It’s a strong team, so we will try to compete again.

Faf du Plessis: We brought in the extra spinner, so we wanted to bat first too. Last night, we gave 20 runs too many. Hopefully, we can restrict them. It’s nice to play with a different team, different characters. We play cricket to try and win matches. The nice thing about this tournament is that it’s not just about winning.

Playing XI:

World XI: Tamim Iqbal, Hashim Amla, Tim Paine(w), Faf du Plessis(c), David Miller, Paul Collingwood, Thisara Perera, Ben Cutting, Samuel Badree, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shehzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed(w/c), Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Sohail Khan, Usman Khan, Rumman Raees

Focus will be on:

Babar Azam: The young sensation played a scintillating knock after the loss of Fakhar Zaman early. First, he took the advantage of the field restrictions and then rotated the strike cleverly with an odd boundary in between. He managed to score 86 and was sent back to the dugout in the 16th over. His knock comprised of 10 fours and a couple of sixes. The team management will once again look up to him to provide a platform for the forthcoming batsmen.

Hashim Amla: The Proteas batsman played some delightful strokes in his brief knock of 26 and looked threatening before being dismissed by Rumman Raees. He would love to make a major impact at the top to keep World XI alive in the series. If he holds one end, then the likes of Tamim Iqbal, du Plessis and David Miller could tear apart the Pakistan bowling which has the tendency of getting flustered under pressure.