Tag: Pakistan

Match #12: Bangladesh v England Prediction.

How This Works!

This post is set to go before each match. I briefly breakdown the batting and bowling attack of each squad and how they relate to each other before selecting who I think is going to win. Because cricket can be won by a number of wickets (if you’re chasing) or runs (if you’re defending), I’m simply going to select who I think is going to win outright, not in the manner, or by how many runs, they’re going to win by. Makes sense? (Quickly moves on before acknowledging any questions) Great! Let’s get started!

Bowling:

Bangladesh Bowlers/All Rounders: Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Saifuddin, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed, Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah, Shakib al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan

England Bowlers/All Rounders: Tom Curran, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Liam Dawson

ICC Ranking Average: (Measured by taking the top 5 bowlers in ICC’s player ratings. Those 5 rankings are then averaged out. The lower the number, the better. If a player is marked out, Dale Steyn in this case, they are not included in the ranking, as they are not effecting the match.)

Bangladesh

  • Mustafizur Rahman: 11th
  • Shakib al Hasan: 19th
  • Mehidy Hasan: 23rd
  • Mashrafe Mortaza: 24th
  • Rubel Hossain: 63rd
  • Avg: 28th

England

  • Chris Woakes: 9th
  • Adil Rashid: 15th
  • Mark Wood: 31st
  • Liam Plunkett: 33rd
  • Moen Ali: 41st
  • Avg: 25th

Breakdown: Closer rankings than I expected! Bangladesh’s bowling attack has more than held their own in their opening two tournament matches. Nearly bowling out New Zealand after being greatly let down by their batters. England’s bowling attack is playing about as expected. They let up big scores against Pakistan in every practice match leading up to the tournament, so their previous match numbers shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Advantage: England. Look at these numbers! Here’s how many runs England and Bangladesh allowed after their first two matches:

England: 555 (207 v SA & 348 v Pak) Bangladesh: 557 (309 v SA & 248 v NZ).

Get this! Both teams played South Africa at Kennington Oval, so the ground was the same. The pitch condition may have been a bit different, but it wasn’t drastic. I think part of the South African low score against England has to do with it being the opening match of the tournament. That being said, thanks for briefly nerding out with me!

Batters:

Bangladesh Batters/All Rounders:

England Batters/All Rounders:

ICC Ranking Average: (See rules for bowlers above and replace that with batters. You got it!)

Bangladesh

  • Mushfiqur Rahim: 20th
  • Tamim Iqbal: 23rd
  • Soumya Sarkar: 32nd
  • Shakid al Hasan: 34th
  • Mahmudullah: 49th
  • Avg: 31st

England

  • Joe Root: 7th
  • Jos Buttler: 16th
  • Eoin Morgan: 17th
  • Jason Roy: 18th
  • Jonny Bairstow: 19
  • Avg: 15th

Breakdown: England has the advantage. It’s simple. They probably have the best batting attack in the tournament.

Advantage: England

A final bold and likely dumb take: England wins by more than 50 runs.

Final Prediction: England. It’s a blowout.

Match #11: Pakistan v Sri Lanka Prediction.

How This Works!

This post is set to go before each match. I briefly breakdown the batting and bowling attack of each squad and how they relate to each other before selecting who I think is going to win. Because cricket can be won by a number of wickets (if you’re chasing) or runs (if you’re defending), I’m simply going to select who I think is going to win outright, not in the manner, or by how many runs, they’re going to win by. Makes sense? (Quickly moves on before acknowledging any questions) Great! Let’s get started!

Bowling:

Pakistan Bowlers/All Rounders: Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan

Sri Lanka Bowlers/All Rounders: Jeffrey Vandersay, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Angelo Matthews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perara, Isuru Udana, Jeevan Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana

ICC Ranking Average: (Measured by taking the top 5 bowlers in ICC’s player ratings. Those 5 rankings are then averaged out. The lower the number, the better. If a player is marked out, Dale Steyn in this case, they are not included in the ranking, as they are not effecting the match.)

Pakistan

  • Mohammad Amir: 27th
  • Hasan Ali: 28th
  • Shadab Khan: 29th
  • Imad Wasim: 30th
  • Shaheen Afridi: 55th
  • Avg: 33rd

Sri Lanka

  • Suranga Lakmal: 42nd
  • Lasith Malinga: 47th
  • Nuwan Pradeep: 61st
  • Angelo Matthews: 77th
  • Thisara Perara: 79th
  • Avg: 61st

Breakdown: Which Pakistan team is going to show up? The one that made the West Indies look like the greatest cricket team of all time, or the squad that upset England? The silver lining for Sri Lanka, is that it was their bowling attack that led them to victory over Afghanistan. Gosh that was an ugly match 🤢

Advantage: Pakistan. As much winning momentum Sri Lanka’s bowling attack has, Pakistan has that x100. They’re also more talented, which is important.

Batters:

Pakistan Batters/All Rounders: Sarfaraz Ahmed © (WK), Asif Ali, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Imam ul Haq, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan

Sri Lanka Batters/All Rounders: Dimuth Karunaratne, Avishka Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Matthews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perara, Isuru Udana, Jeevan Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana

ICC Ranking Average: (See rules for bowlers above and replace that with batters. You got it!)

Pakistan

  • Babar Azam: 8th
  • Fakhar Zaman: 10th
  • Imam-ul-Haq: 15th
  • Mohammad Hafeez: 44th
  • Sarfaraz Ahmed: 51st
  • Avg: 25th

Sri Lanka

  • Angelo Matthews: 40
  • Kusal Mendis: 57
  • Kusal Perera: 72
  • Thisara Perera: 74
  • Lahiru Thirimanne: 84
  • Avg: 65th

Breakdown: I mean, it can’t really go worse for Sri Lanka, can it? Folks, I have some potentially bad news.

Advantage: Pakistan. Here are Sri Lanka’s batting performances from the first and second match. That’s a lot of single digit efforts.

A final bold and likely dumb take:

No Sri Lankan player will go for 0 runs. Hey, that’s saying a lot so far this tournament!!

Final Prediction: Pakistan in an uneventful and fairly easy match.

Pakistan Roster Breakdown

ICC Ranking: 6th

After winning the ICC Champions Trophy in England, Pakistan will look for similar results this time around.

Batters/Fielders: Sarfaraz Ahmed (CPT WK), Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Imam ul Haq, Shoaib Malik

Bowlers: Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hasnain, Shaheen Afridi

All Rounders: Faheem Ashraf, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan

Don’t Sleep On

– Shadab Khan: How will the young spinner handle the big stage? Well, if his T20 performance in the PPL, and recent high draft selection in the CPL, are any indications, we’re in for a breakout performance.

– Haris Sohail: This middle order batsmen will be called upon to hold an innings together this tournament. Whether or not he’s up to the challenge could be the difference in a deep tournament run, or an early trip back home.

– Imam-ul-Haq: He’s playing incredible cricket right now. His recent 151 against England in their World Cup warm up match shows massive potential for what he’s capable of on English soil.

Needed to Make a Run

– Hasan Ali : The key to their bowling attack, Ali can do it all. They’ll be looking at him to lead from the front and take timely wickets. He had a wonderful showing on English pitches in 2017, hopefully that form continues here!

– Sarfaraz Ahmed: The captain! His decision making and strategy is vital to the success of this team. They’ll look for him to put on a good showing with the bat, but ultimately his lineup and fielding adjustments are essential.

Key to the Cup

– Babar Azam: With an average of nearly 50 runs and a strike rate of 85, Azam is set to explode onto the big stage. With him anchoring the attack at the third spot, Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq will be free to tee off during their opening partnership.

Why Should I Watch?

They won the most recent major ODI tournament in this very country two years ago and many of that team is back. That 2017 team surprised many, but that won’t be the case again this year, as expectations weigh heavy. This team can beat anyone but also lose to anyone.

How Fun is This Team? (6.5/10)

Pakistan plays a consistent and efficient brand of cricket that wins matches, which is ultimately all that matters. But this question isn’t asking if the team is good or not, it’s asking how fun they are. And that answer is…meh. Look for explosive batting from Azam and ul-Haq, teamed up with young talent in Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi to make this team worth watching if you’re a neutral fan.

Best Case

A repeat of the ICC Champions Trophy! Azam turns into the world-beating batter he’s destined to be and has a historic tournament while leading from the front. Hasan Ali leads the bowling attack to devastating results. They beat India in both group play and in the Finals to hoist the trophy.

Worst Case

The batting lineup completely fails to show up and Ahmed’s in-game decisions fail to make a difference. India proceeds to roll through them in their group match, and losses to Afghanistan and Bangladesh late in the tournament force an early exit.

Prediction

A big win over India in the group stage ultimately isn’t enough to make up for shock losses against either Sri Lanka or Afghanistan, resulting in Pakistan missing out on the semi-finals.