Fantasy: Tough to bet against Rizwan and Moeen

Pakistan will take on England in the sixth T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday (September 30). The hosts lost two of the first three encounters and were 1-2 behind in the seven-match series but have won the last two games by close margins to take a 3-2 lead in the series. Pakistan won the fourth T20I by three runs and then defended a below-par total of 145 in the previous game on Thursday. The Men in Green would now be eager to finish the job in the sixth T20I and seal the series.

Ground details

The fifth encounter ended up being a low-scoring thriller, with fast bowlers dictating terms. The surface had enough assistance for seamers and a total of 17 wickets fell in the game. Pakistan were bundled out for 145 in 19 overs and then went on to restrict England to 139/7 in 20 overs. Hence, it would be ideal to have at least three-four seamers in your XI. Not once a team has scored more than 170 at this venue since 2021. 

Suggested teams

While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.

Captaincy suggestions

For small leagues: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Mark Wood (vc)

For grand leagues: Moeen Ali (c), Haris Rauf (vc)

Stats that matter

It’s almost impossible to bet against Mohammad Rizwan! The wicketkeeper-batter scores runs in almost every game and also gets your points from behind the stumps. In this series, Rizwan has scores of 63, 88, 8, 88* and 68 - 315 runs in five innings at an average of 78.75 and a strike rate of 140.62. In T20Is since 2021, Rizwan has slammed 1945 runs in 38 innings at an average of 69.46. That’s some unbelievable consistency. 

Harry Brook is England’s highest run-getter in this series. The young middle-order batter has smashed 192 runs in five innings at an average of 64 and a strike rate of 164.10. In this series, he has scores of 4, 34, 81*, 31 and 42*.

Mark Wood has only featured in two T20Is in this series but is already the second-highest wicket-taker, having taken six wickets at a strike rate of 8. He has taken three wickets each in both games and has constantly troubled Pakistan batters with his pace. 

Grand league punts

Haris Rauf is currently the highest wicket-taker in this series, having claimed eight wickets in five innings at a strike rate of 15. 

Moeen Ali has only bowled six overs in this series but is still England’s joint second-highest wicket-taker this year. However, he has been superb with the bat in this series, having scored 142 runs in four innings at an average of 142 and a strike rate of 159.55.

Probable XIs

Pakistan - Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Haider Ali/Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Aamer Jamal, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf.

England - Philip Salt (wk), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali (c), Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, David Willey/Richard Gleeson, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.