PAKvsCAN - (X.Com)
In a do-or-die tie for both teams, Pakistan and Canada will lock horns against each other on June 11 at the Nassau County International Stadium in New York. It will be only for the second time in their history that these two teams will square off against each other. The only time they faced each other in the shortest format of the game was in 2008 when Pakistan emerged victorious in a low-scoring thriller.
Talking about the present scenario, Pakistan have hit rock bottom as they suffered an embarrassing defeat against India. Now, the Men in Green are placed fourth in Group A with two defeats in two games. Meanwhile, Canada are fresh off a win against Ireland and placed 3rd on the points table with one win in two matches. This article will focus on the preview, pitch report, and playing XI of the upcoming match.
Team Preview
Pakistan
It is a must-win match for Pakistan as a defeat would see them crash out of the tournament. Their latest defeat came against India, where the batters let them down. After facing embarrassment in the opening match, the Men in Green bowlers made Indian batters sweat for runs and restricted them to a total of 119 runs. However, the middle-order batters became a laughing stock as Pakistan failed to chase 120 runs in 120 balls.
Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, and Imad Wasim's display in this World Cup has come under scrutiny as they have surrendered on a challenging surface. The bowlers are the only positives for Pakistan at the moment, as Naseem Shah is breathing fire. While Haris Rauf is leaking runs but taking crucial wickets as well.
In the upcoming match against Canada, the Babar Azam-led side needs to show agressive intent and not succumb to pressure, which they usually have in important games. Saim Ayub is one explosive batter who is on the bench as Pakistan opted for Babar and Rizwan to open. It is to be seen whether they bring in the left-hand batter for the upcoming match.
Canada
Canada bounced back in the tournament after defeat in the first match by beating Ireland in their latest game. The batters are on song for the Men in Red, as Canada became the first team to win a match batting first at the Nassau Cricket Stadium after a win over the Irish. Even against the USA, Canada put on a great show with the bat and scored 194/5.
Thus, the upcoming tie against Pakistan would be a great match-up between bat and ball. To not take away the credit from the Canadian bowlers, the spinners are doing well including their skipper Saad Bin Zafar.
PAK vs CAN: Match Details and Streaming
Date & Time | June 11, 8:00 pm |
Venue | Nassau County International Stadium |
Live Streaming & Broadcast | Star Sports Network & Hotstar |
PAK vs CAN: Nassau County International Stadium Pitch Report
The surface at the Nassau County Stadium has proved to be a nightmare for the batters. In the five games played at this venue, the highest score posted is 137 by Canada against Ireland. In rest of the games, the batters have danced to the tunes of the bowlers as seen in the recently concluded game between India-Pakistan. The pitch is expected to support the seamers in the upcoming tie as well.
PAK vs CAN: Probable XIs
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir
Canada: Aaron Johnson, Navneet Dhaliwal, Pargat Singh, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva (wk), Dilpreet Bajwa, Saad Bin Zafar (c), Dillon Heyliger, Kaleem Sana, Junaid Siddiqui, Jeremy Gordon
PAK vs CAN: Fantoss Fantasy Tips
Roles | Players |
Wicket-keeper | Mohammad Rizwan |
Batters | Babar Azam, Nicholas Kirton, Fakhar Zaman, Shreyas Movva |
All-rounders | Shadab Khan, Dillon Heyliger |
Bowlers | Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Saad Zafar, Jeremy Gordon |
Captain | Naseem Shah |
Vice-Captain | Mohammad Rizwan |
PAK vs CAN: Winner Prediction
Both the teams played their previous games at the Nassau Stadium, so they have fair understanding of how the ball would behave. Since, it is a bowlers friendly pitch, Pakistan would have an upper hand over Canada and are likely to register their first win of the tournament.