T20 World Cup, Ireland vs Pakistan: Fantasy 11 prediction, teams, captain, vice-captain, toss and venue analysis

Pakistan can only blame themselves after they lost close games to the USA and India, the matches they could have easily won. Ireland and Pakistan had recently played a T20I series prior to the T20 World Cup, so the familiarity aspect is covered. Moreover, Ireland are no pushovers and have the ability to pull off an upset win.

Last 5 MATCHES

PAKISTAN – ALLLW

IRELAND – AWWLL

*A- Match abandoned

Likely playing XIs

Ireland likely XI

Batters: Andy Balbirnie, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector

Allrounders: Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany

Wicketkeeper: Lorcan Tucker

Bowlers: Craig Young, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy

Pakistan likely XI

Batters: Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan

Allrounders: Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan

Wicketkeeper: Mohammad Rizwan

Bowlers: Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf

Statistical Performance (Pakistan)

1. Babar Azam

Babar Azam will be key for Pakistan in the top order and in the recent series against Ireland, the Pakistan skipper had scored two fifties. Babar has an impressive record against Ireland.

BABAR AZAM IN T20 WORLD CUPS

2. Shaheen Shah Afridi

Shaheen Shah Afridi has the ability to chip away with wickets in the powerplay overs and against Ireland’s top-order he has had success, especially against the Irish openers. In his last nine matches, Afridi has picked 16 wickets.

SHAHEEN SHAH AFRIDI IN T20 WORLD CUPS

Players who can make a Difference (Pakistan)

1. Fakhar Zaman

An experienced and equally destructive batter in the Pakistan lineup. Pakistan would like him to fire in the match. In his last 10 matches, Fakhar Zaman has scored 284 runs at a strike rate of 151.87.

2. Haris Rauf

Haris Rauf has made his name for himself in the T20 format. He bowls at a quick pace and has the knack of picking wickets, though can be a tad expensive. There is no denial of his wicket taking abilities. In his last five matches, he has picked 11 wickets at a strike rate of 10.09.

Statistical Performance (Ireland)

1. Andy Balbirnie

Andy Balbirnie is one of the most experienced players in the Ireland side, having played more than 100 T20Is. He will be one of the key players for Ireland and in his last 10 matches, Balbirnie has scored 276 runs at an average of 27.6.

ANDY BALBIRNIE IN T20Is

2. Mark Adair

Mark Adair the bowling allrounder in the Ireland squad is a key prospect as he chips in with both bat and ball. In his last 10 matches, he has been impressive and has taken 18 wickets at a strike rate of 13.27 and an economy of 7.88.

MARK ADAIR IN T20IS

Players who can make a Difference (Ireland)

1. Lorcan Tucker

He has a great record in the T20 format and his batting prowess at the top of the order can make a difference for Ireland. In his last 10 matches, Tucker has scored 257 runs at a strike rate of 112.65.

2. Craig Young

Craig Young has the knack of snuffing out batters in the powerplay overs. Moreover, in the recent past, he had success against Babar Azam. In his last six matches, Young has picked 10 wickets at a strike rate of 13.8.

Team Head to Head

In May, a month before the T20 World Cup 2024, Pakistan had played three T20Is against Ireland and won the series 2-1. In total both teams have played each other four times and the first match was in the 2009 T20 World Cup in England, which Pakistan won.

MATCHES PAKISTAN WON IRELAND WON

Player Head to Head

BABAR AZAM VS CRAIG YOUNG

INNINGS – 2

BALLS FACED – 20

RUNS SCORED – 23

STRIKE RATE – 6.90

DISMISSALS – 2

In the recent T20I series, Craig Young had dismissed the Pakistan skipper Babar Azam twice. The match-up between these two players will make an interesting watch.

SHAHEEN SHAH AFRIDI VS ANDY BALBIRNIE

INNINGS – 3

BALLS FACED – 25

RUNS SCORED – 24

STRIKE RATE – 5.76

DISMISSALS – 2

Shaheen Shah Afridi has had success against Ireland’s opening batter Andy Balbirnie. The left-arm pacer has dismissed Balbirnie twice in previous encounters.

Venue and Pitch

The Central Broward Park & Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida, has been hit by rain. There has been heavy rainfall in Florida, and the first match on June 12 at the venue between Nepal and Sri Lanka was called off due to rain. Overall, Lauderhill has hosted 16 T20I matches, out of which the team batting first has won 11 and the side chasing just four. So, it is definitely advantageous to set a target at the venue. The captain who has won the toss has elected to bat first on nine occasions. The probability of winning the match after winning the toss is 46.7%. The average score batting first is 167 for 7, while the average score chasing is 141 for 7.

The pitch in Lauderhill will help the spinners, who have a better average, strike rate, and economy compared to the fast bowlers at the venue. However, there are also chances of rain on Sunday, which could introduce moisture into the wicket and provide some assistance to the pacers early on.

Match Prediction

Pakistan will start as favourites against Ireland because they have a good record against them. Moreover, Ireland are no pushovers as they recently played a series against Pakistan and would have some sense of familiarity with their tactics. Pacers will have an impact due to the moisture on the pitch. Pakistan have 80% chance of winning the match.

Fantasy XI

Finally, here is our Fantasy XI for the Pakistan vs Ireland clash. The team includes 6 players from Pakistan and 5 players from Ireland. Shaheen Shah Afridi will be effective in the powerplay overs. Backup players will be Saim Ayub, Haris Rauf and Paul Stirling.

Shaheen Shah Afridi will be a great choice for captaincy, and Babar Azam will be a good choice for the vice-captaincy role.

FANTASY XI FOR IRELAND VS PAKISTAN

Wicketkeeper: Mohammad Rizwan

Batters: Babar Azam (VC), Fakhar Zaman, Andy Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker

All-rounders: Imad Wasim, Mark Adair, Gareth Delany

Bowlers: Shaheen Shah Afridi (C), Craig Young, Mohammad Amir

BACKUP PLAYERS

BATTER: Saim Ayub

BOWLER: Haris Rauf

ALL-ROUNDER: Paul Stirling