Pakistan’s third T20I match against Ireland will be held at the Clontarf Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, in their bid to prepare for the ICC T20 World Cup that will kickstart next month in the USA and the Caribbean.
However, the final composition of Pakistan’s playing eleven remains a subject of intrigue as the think tank can opt for three spinners while resting Naseem Shah to preserve the youngster before the T20 World Cup.
Pakistan lost the first match against Ireland by 5 wickets but they made a strong comeback in the second T20I with a 7-wicket victory courtesy of a 140-run partnership for the third wicket between Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman.
Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan are likely to open the innings once again whereas Babar Azam will be utilized in the one-down position. Fakhar Zaman and Azam Khan can both play as floaters in any position in the batting line up with both players showcasing good performances at two-down.
Iftikhar Ahmed and Imad Wasim are likely to play at 6 and 7 positions lower d
own the batting order considering their invaluable ability to hit the ball out of the park in death overs.
Pakistan can opt to field a lineup with three pacers in this match such as Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, and Abbas Afridi with the spin trio of Abrar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, and Shadab Khan to support the pacers on seaming wickets.
The Men in Green will look to bounce back from their disappointing result in the first T20 match against Ireland as a series win against Ireland will give them a confidence boost before the four-match series against England.
Here is the expected playing XI:
Mohammad Rizwan
Saim Ayub
Babar Azam (c)
Fakhar Zaman
Azam Khan
Iftikhar Ahmed
Imad Wasim
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Abrar Ahmed
Mohammad Amir
Abbas Afridi
Source: Pro Pakistani