After an entertaining test match, England and Pakistan begin their first of three T20 matches. England go into this contest as favourites. Their batsman are far superior and the odds suggest England will come out on top. That’s not to say Pakistan don’t stand any chance at all. England stuttered earlier in the year against Ireland and Babar Azam impressed in the recent test match. He is widely considered one of the best T20 batsmen in the world and Pakistan will look to their captain to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
This T20 match starts on Friday 28th August at the Emirates, Old Trafford stadium in Manchester. The recent test match suffered at the hands of the unpredictable English weather and unfortunately, the forecast looks like rain could affect play on Friday.
England v Pakistan T20 betting tips.
England v Pakistan 1st T20 – Latest Odds & Form
With no barmy army to get behind them the contest surely evens itself out. Pakistan has some fantastic bowlers and with odds of 2.40, there could be some real value backing them for victory.
Odds from Betway India*
To win the match odds*
- England 1.53
- Pakistan 2.40
As this is the first of three T20 matches, Pakistan is far too tempting at 2.40 to ignore. Many of their T20 squad played against England in the recent test match series and they will be looking for revenge.
England are powerful. They have some of the best batsmen in the world and Pakistan could easily find the contest running away from them. We just think the generous odds awarded to Pakistan are too attractive to look beyond and there is the possibility of an upset.
England form
In test match cricket, England has had a decent summer. The last time they played T20 was way back in February when they overcame a tenacious South Africa, with Eoin Morgan the star of the series.
Jos Buttler who also starred against South Africa, unfortunately, misses out nevertheless, England have the likes of Jonny Bairstow who is simply incredible at the crease; against SA he knocked a blistering 60 of 35 balls. England’s middle to backorder needs to step up to the plate if called upon. There is a feeling that they could easily collapse and hand Pakistan victory.
Head to head
If head to head form is anything to go by then England will have a decent series. In T20 international matches against each other, England have won 10 whilst Pakistan have been victorious on 4 occasions.
Pakistan form
Babar Azam is Pakistans star player at the moment. After a very good test series, he captains his country in this T20 battle with England. Other than Azam we think that Pakistan may be lacking on the batting front. They do have the players to build a good score however if they are to get any joy it will be with the ball in hand.
Pakistan have a strong attack with the likes of Mohammed Amir and Shaheen Afridi. They can easily cause England some problems and some quick wickets could see the hosts collapse.
The last time Pakistan played T20 was earlier in the year when they dominated Bangladesh; winning 2 out of 2 with the last match being abandoned.
Top team batsman odds*
Who will be the top batsman for the team?
England Batsmen latest odds
- Jonny Bairstow 3.25
- Jason Roy 3.60
- Tom Banton 4.33
- Dawid Malan 4.50
- Liam Livingston 4.75
Jonny Bairstow will likely be England’s big hitter however Jason Roy can be just as deadly when batting. England easily have the firepower to build a comprehensive run score; very quickly.
Pakistan batsman latest odds
- Babar Azam 2.50
- Shoaib Malik 4.33
- Fakhar Zaman 4.75
- Mohammed Hafeez 5.00
- Iftikhar Ahmed 9.00
Other than talisman Babar Azam and, if he’s up for it, Shoaib Malik, Pakistan definitely lack in the batting department. They’ll know all too well where their strengths lie nevertheless when they get the chances it is up to their batsman to step up and take them.
To hit a six odds*
T20 cricket is all about big hits and high scores, its why we love this format so much. England v Pakistan will no doubt delight cricket fans and there are some huge hitters out there, which means the ‘To hit a six’ betting market is well worth checking out.
Latest odds*
- Eoin Morgan 1.53
- Jonny Bairstow 1.53
- Jason Roy 1.57
- Babar Azam 2.00
- Shoaib Malik 2.10
- Fakhar Zaman 2.25
Its almost take your pick with this list of batsmen. Certainly, the England team have some talent with the likes of Morgan, Bairstow and Roy likely to score big. Our pick here though is Babar Azam at 2.00; well worth a punt!
*Odds were correct at the time of writing and subject to change at any time. Check the bookmaker’s site for the latest odds.
England v Pakistan 1st T20 Betting Tips
Our T20 betting expert has chosen 2 tips for this match.
Tip 1 – Betway – Babar Azam to score OVER 28.5 runs – 1.83
Babar Azam is Pakistans captain and main threat when batting. He showed exactly why he is regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world impressing against England in their recent test match. With an average T20 score of over 50, Babar Azam is more than capable of building a big score, even of those around him are falling quickly.
Tip 2 – 10 Cric – Mohammed Amir TOP BOWLER – 3.75
Pakistan’s strength going into this match is with their bowlers. Their attack can be potent and with Mohammed Amir leading the way, this is where the match could turn in favour of the visitors.
Although his economy rate is high Amir has a very respectful 59 wickets in 48 T20 international matches. After nearly missing out on the whole tour, Mohammed Amir will be in the red hot form once this white ball series starts.
*Please only bet what you can afford to lose.