ABOUT THE MATCH
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be facing Northern in the 12th match of Pakistan’s National T20 Cup at Faisalabad on 18th October.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Northern have won a single game each so far. The Pakhtunkhwa started their campaign with a win against Balochistan, but their form was not great in the game against Southern Punjab and Sindh. The Pakhtunkhwa, placed at the 5th position, will be looking to move up the table by registering their second win of the competition.
On the other hand, Northern, which won their opening game by 5 wickets, couldn’t carry on a similar momentum in their next game, leading to their defeat against Central Punjab by 4 wickets.
PITCH AND CONDITIONS
Chasing gets easier here as it was noticeable in the previous game where Central Punjab played against Northern. The team winning the toss here would opt to field first.
There is no forecast for any rain for Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium on Friday. However, there could be a cloud covering during the day without interrupting the play.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI OF Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:
Mohammad Rizwan, I Ahmed, Adil Amin, Khushdil Shah, Fakhar Zaman, Israrullah, Mohammad Mohsin, Imran Khan, Usman Shinwari, Umer Khan, and Junaid Khan.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI OF Northern:
Asif Ali, Sohail Akhtar, Imad Wasim (C), Haris Rauf, Umar Amin, Rohail Nazir (WK), Naveed Malik, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Shadab Khan, and Sohail Tanvir.
MATCH PREVIEW
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Sahibzada Farhan could replace Adil Amin as the batting unit is heavily dependent on Fakhar Zaman and captain Mohammad Rizwan.
- Mohammad Mohsin has been the standout bowler for Khyber with eight wickets in three games.
- Iftikhar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah add muscle to the middle order as the duo is capable of accelerating the score in the death overs as well.
- Junaid Khan and Usman Khan Shinwari are capable of picking up wickets with the new ball while Ilyas is another option if they replace Imran Khan.
- Fakhar Zaman and Israrullah will open the innings for the Pakhtunkhwa.
Northern
- Northern Pakistan is likely to retain its team after their win against Sindh.
- Asif Ali continued his superb form with yet another fifty. He was supported well by Umar Amin and Mohammad Nawaz in the middle overs.
- Their batting depth is commendable with Shadab Khan and Sohail Tanvir batting at number eight and nine, respectively.
- Mohammad Amir will be leading the way in the bowling unit dominated by spin.
- With Wasim and Shadab being two of the best spinners in the T20 format, they will be crucial for Northern’s fortunes on Friday.
PROBABLE WINNING TEAM:
We back Northern Pakistan as it has a strong batting line-up to beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in this encounter.
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