T20 World Cup 2021 match preview: Pakistan v Scotland

Team news, likely XIs, form guide, players to watch, odds, TV and streaming information, weather forecast, umpire appointments and everything else you need to know

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What’s the match?

Pakistan take on Scotland in the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup.

When is it taking place?

The game is scheduled for 6pm local time (2pm BST) on Sunday, November 7, 2021.

Where is the match being played?

The game will be held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah.

Sharjah Cricket Stadium: Ground guide

Who’s got the form?

Forgive the pessimism, but regrettably with two days of the Super 12s stage remaining we reach what can be described as our first genuine dead rubber.

Though Pakistan are not assured of top spot in Group 2, they were the first side to book a place in the semi-finals after winning their first four matches.

Victory over Scotland will make it five out of five and probably ensure they arrive in the last four as the tournament favourites.

Defeat could see them slip down to second in the table if New Zealand beat Afghanistan.

Scotland's achievement in reaching the second round should not be discounted, however, they can be disappointed with their performances since qualifying.

Shane Burger's side are among esteemed company but they haven't done themselves justice with the bat. Twice they've been dismissed in double figures and only mustered 109 for 8 in defeat to Namibia.

Their best performance arguably came against the Kiwis when they fell 17 runs short of victory in Dubai. Forty scalps in five games tells you everything you need to know about where the successes have been focused, with Josh Davey and Brad Wheal competing to be their leading wicket-taker.

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What are the odds?

Dafabet are rating Pakistan as 1/25 favourites to claim victory in their final Super 12s match.

Scotland are available at 12/1.

In the six-hitting market, Babar Azam's side are rated at 2/9 to clear the rope the most number of times, while the Scots are at 5/1.

Who are the ones to watch?

Left-arm spinner Mark Watt has been one of Scotland's stand-out performers with the ball, taking a wicket in each of their seven tournament matches. He currently sits at No.174 in the men's T20 Player Index.

It is worth keeping an eye on Safyaan Sharif, the right-arm seamer who was born to a Pakistani father and a British-Pakistani mother, and is relishing the opportunity to test himself against the best

"It's going to be exciting," he said according to ESPNCricinfo. "I've got a Pakistani background and my family is Pakistani so it's definitely one I've been looking forward to. 

"You don't get these opportunities all the time so we'll be picking their brains after the game. I'd like to speak to Shaheen [Shah Afridi] and Haris Rauf, who are obviously world-class fast bowlers, and maybe Asif Ali - who is also from Faisalabad - about power-hitting."

What's the team news?

Pakistan have resisted making any changes having kept faith with the same XI for the duration of the tournament. Expect that team to remain in place.

Dylan Budge and Hamza Tahir have not yet featured for Scotland, who could be tempted to give them a run-out in their final match.

Who are the umpires?

The following umpires and match referees have been named by the ICC to officiate in the T20 World Cup 2021:

Referees: David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Javagal Srinath

Umpires: Chris Brown, Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nitin Menon, Ahsan Raza, Paul Reiffel, Langton Rusere, Rod Tucker, Joel Wilson, Paul Wilson

The following officials have been allocated to this fixture: 

On-field umpires: Tucker, P Wilson 

TV umpire: Holdstock

Fourth umpire: Reiffel

Referee: Boon

Full T20 World Cup officials appointments: Click here

What's the weather forecast?

Temperatures will dip below the 30s for the start of this game, starting at 28 degrees Celsius and slowly descending as the game progresses.

Follow the Met Office forecast here.

Are fans allowed in?

Yes, though Covid protocols including the wearing of face masks will be in place.

Click here to visit the ICC's ticketing site.

What’s the prediction?

Scotland have done themselves no disgrace in this tournament but Pakistan are the clear favourites for this one and should qualify top of Group 2.

T20 WORLD CUP TEAM GUIDES

Afghanistan

Australia

Bangladesh

England

India

Ireland

Namibia

Netherlands

New Zealand

Oman

Pakistan

Papua New Guinea

Scotland

South Africa

Sri Lanka

West Indies

Where can I watch the game?

Sky Sports Cricket (Sky 404, Talk Talk 404, BT TV 423, Virgin 504) will broadcast the series in the United Kingdom, with the content available online via its streaming platform Sky Go.

BBC Radio Five Live Sports Extra will have live ball-by-ball radio commentary of all tournament matches, accessible through the BBC Sport website, BBC Sounds or DAB radio.

The Star Sports network is showing the tournament in India. Matches can be streamed via Disney+ Hotstar

Other broadcasters by territory:

Australia - Fox Sports, Channel 9, Kayo Sports

New Zealand – Sky Sport New Zealand

Pakistan - PTV Sports, Ten Sports

Bangladesh - Ghazi Tv (GTV)

Sri Lanka – SLRC (Channel Eye)

South Africa – SuperSport

Caribbean – ESPN

Middle East and North Africa – eLife TV, StarzPlay, Switch TV

USA – ESPN+

Singapore - Star Cricket, Star Hub and Singtel

Malaysia - Fox International Channels

Hong Kong - Star Cricket

What are the squads?

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman

Scotland: Kyle Coetzer (c), Richard Berrington, Dylan Budge, Matthew Cross (wk), Josh Davey, Ally Evans, Chris Greaves, Michael Leask, Calum Macleod, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Hamza Tahir, Craig Wallace, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal

What are the likely starting XIs?

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Scotland: George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (c), Calum MacLeod, Richie Berrington, Michael Leask, Matthew Cross (wk), Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Safyaan Sharif, Alasdair Evans, Brad Wheal

T20 World Cup Hub: News, features, stats, live scores

T20 World Cup fixtures

T20 World Cup squads

Our coverage of the T20 World Cup is brought to you in association with Dafabet India. For more on Dafabet and to place a bet, click here

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