National T20 Cup 2021: Match 13, Balochistan vs Southern Punjab (Pakistan) - Preview, predicted XIs, pitch report, weather forecast, match prediction and live streaming details

The 13th match of the National T20 Cup will see Balochistan locking horns with Southern Punjab (Pakistan) at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Friday.

Southern Punjab, led by Sohaib Maqsood, have looked clueless in the ongoing edition of the T20 tournament. Having lost all their four games, they are languishing at the bottom of the points table. In their previous outing, Northern defeated them by five wickets.

After being put in to bat, Southern Punjab racked up 175 for six, mostly due to captain Maqsood’s 47-ball 75. However, their bowlers failed to stand up as Northern chased down the target with five balls to spare. Mohammad Nawaz scored 56 to steer Northern past the finish line.

Meanwhile, Balochistan, led by Imam-ul-Haq, aren’t in the best of form either. They are fifth in the points table, and have a net run rate of -1.162, the worst among all teams in the tournament. In their previous game, Balochistan lost to Sindh by 77 runs.

Sindh racked up a massive score of 175 for the loss of four wickets on the board. Thereafter, Imam-ul-Haq and Abdul Bangalzai stitched together a 46-run partnership off 35 balls. But from there on, Balochistan lost all ten wickets for 52 runs, and were shot out for a mere 98 in 16.4 overs.

Match Details

Match: Balochistan vs Southern Punjab (Pakistan), Match No.13, National T20 Cup 2021.

Date and Time: October 1, 2021, Friday, 03:30 PM IST.

Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Weather Report

The conditions will mostly be sunny with little chance of rain. The temperature should be around 29-degree Celsius and the humidity in the 60s.

Pitch Report

The pitch has been a decent one for batting, and there have been high-scoring games in the tournament. Batting second should be the preferred option for the captain winning the toss.

Predicted Playing XIs

Balochistan

Abdul Bangalzai is the leading run-scorer for Balochistan, scoring 130 runs at an average of 43.33. But he hasn’t received much support from his teammates. Yasir Shah and Kashif Bhatti have picked up five wickets apiece for Balochistan. Amad Butt has bowled well too.

Predicted XI: Imam-ul-Haq (c), Abdul Bangalzai, Bismillah Khan, Akbar-ur-Rehman, Ayaz Tasawwar/Haris Sohail, Amad Butt, Kashif Bhatti, Umaid Asif, Yasir Shah, Akif Javed, Junaid Khan.

Southern Punjab

Sohaib Maqsood is in stupendous form for Southern Punjab. The captain has notched 117 runs at a strike rate of 144.44. Mohammad Imran has also scored a half-century. Naseem Shah is the leading wicket-taker for his team with four scalps. Hassan Khan has also been pretty impressive.

Predicted XI: Zain Abbas, Zeeshan Ashraf, Sohaib Maqsood (c), Mohammad Imran, Khushdil Shah, Azam Khan (wk), Aamer Yamin, Hassan Khan, Mohammad Ilyas, Naseem Shah, Faisal Akram.

Match Prediction

It is likely to be a contest between Southern Punjab’s batting and Balochistan’s bowling. Balochistan's bowling attack looks a tad stronger than that of Southern Punjab. The team, batting second, will likely win this game.