Pakistan and England will play second T20 match today at Karachi Internationnal Cricket Staidum at 7:30 pm. England team won first ever match between the hosts and the guests that were played after 17 years. 

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Pitch and conditions

It remains unrelentingly humid in Karachi, meaning the reasons both sides ensured their fast bowlers sent down short spells might not have only been tactical. The pitch played surprisingly slow in the first game, but the second will be on a new surface.

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Team news

Pakistan have indicated they're willing to try different combinations ahead of the World Cup, so chopping and changing might be a bit of a theme this series. Mohammad Rizwan is due a rest at some point, but when exactly he gets it is anybody's guess. He did downplay any injury concerns post-match, though.

Pakistan (probable): 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Mohammad Rizwan/Mohammad Haris (wk), 3 Haider Ali, 4 Shan Masood, 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Khushdil Shah/Asif Ali, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Shahnawaz Dahani/Mohammad Hasnain, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Usman Qadir

Richard Gleeson left the field early in the first game, and is currently experiencing some "minor discomfort in his back", according to the ECB, and will continue to be monitored as the tour progresses. Olly Stone is primed to replace him. Will Jacks might get game time in place of Ben Duckett, while England are expected to heavily rotate the bowling attack over the next two games.

England: 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Ben Duckett/Will Jacks, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Moeen Ali (capt), 7 Sam Curran, 8 David Willey, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Luke Wood, 11 Olly Stone

Stats and trivia

With a defeat in the first outing, Pakistan have now lost three T20Is on the bounce. Only once since 2010 have they lost four on the trot. It occurred in 2019 and also involved a combination of England and Sri Lanka.
With 85 wickets to his name, Adil Rashid is five behind Chris Jordan for most wickets in T20Is by an England player.

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Pakistan search for batting answers as England look to extend strong start

Now that the first game is out of the way, England will feel a whole lot better about themselves. Not simply because they put in a clinical performance to go up 1-0, but also because the reputational damage of last year's pullout has begun to be undone. After Pakistan helped prop England Cricket up financially in the chaos of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the latter's last-minute refusal to return the favour left an already impecunious Pakistan in a particularly vulnerable position, coming as it did hot on the heels of New Zealand calling off their tour. The anger in Pakistan at the time was visceral, and PCB chairman Ramiz Raja led the criticism, lashing out at the "Western bloc".

In the spotlight

Usman Qadir is one of those cricketers who make you wonder why they don't dominate their profession one delivery before answering that question the next ball. The legspinner encapsulated that phenomenon in the first two deliveries of his spell in Karachi. He started off with a full-toss that was dispatched over the fence, before bowling one that dipped and turned, coaxing Dawid Malan's leading edge back to the bowler. There are just enough shocking balls to ensure he will likely be expensive, but also enough worldies to keep him among the wickets. The first game offered no indication if that was due to change, but with Shadab Khan potentially unavailable through injury, Qadir will be in the mix. And if he's in the mix, he's certainly worth watching.