England vs Pakistan 3rd T20I Prediction: Who will win today's match?

After Pakistan sprung a surprise in the opening game against England, the hosts roared back with a convincing win in the second T20I to take the three-match series into a decider. The final T20I will be played at Old Trafford on Tuesday, July 20.

Pakistan's incredible batting display helped them win the series opener. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam put on a massive opening partnership before the middle-order batsmen chipped in with useful cameos to take them to 232/6 in their 20 overs. Although Liam Livingstone waged a lone battle by scoring England's fastest T20I hundred, Eoin Morgan's men fell short by 31 runs.

Morgan chose to rest himself for the second T20I, and incidentally, England's fortunes saw a massive upturn. They put on 200 thanks to fiery innings from Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali and Livingstone, before a complete bowling performance helped them win by a whopping 45-run margin.

With both teams having put up a decent performance, the decider promises to be a thriller. Pakistan have won their last three T20I series and will have revenge on their minds after being whitewashed by England in the preceding ODI assignment. Meanwhile, England - who are without several first-choice stars - will eye another morale-boosting white-ball series win.

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England vs Pakistan 3rd T20I Prediction: Can the inconsistent visitors keep their T20I run going at Old Trafford?

England v Pakistan - Second Vitality International T20

Pakistan's fortunes are directly linked to those of their opening combination. Rizwan and Azam have been absolutely sensational in the T20I format over the last year, consistently giving the team solid foundations to kick on from. However, when the duo has failed, the Men in Green have struggled to rebuild the innings in the middle overs.

Sohaib Maqsood has been a touch inconsistent at No. 3, while Mohammad Hafeez is going through a horrible run of form at the moment. Fakhar Zaman doesn't seem to be entirely comfortable with a middle-order role, and young Azam Khan is probably batting too low at No. 6.

Pakistan's bowling has been impressive in flashes, but certain bowlers have wilted when England have attempted to take them on. Shaheen Shah Afridi has been superb for the visitors, and a little support would go a long way in making them a fearsome all-round bowling unit.

Meanwhile, England have refused to veer away from their uber-aggressive batting approach, and rightly so. Even though Jason Roy hasn't kicked on in this series, he has set the tone of the innings in both games. Liam Livingstone is in the touch of his life, while Moeen Ali struck form in the second T20I.

England's biggest worry is the form of Dawid Malan, who has scored a combined two runs in his last four international innings. The #1 T20I batsman in the world could even lose his place in the side if Morgan returns, unless England choose to go in with one less spin-bowling option. But Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali held up the spin department admirably in the second T20I, hinting that England will probably stick with the trio.

It's extremely difficult to pick an outright winner, since both Pakistan and England have played some good cricket this series. Babar Azam's men are one unpredictable bunch of cricketers, and nobody knows which version of the team will turn up at Old Trafford.

However, going by the recent result and England's stellar recent record in white-ball cricket, they can be backed to outplay their opponents in the decider. Although Pakistan are more than capable of pulling off another upset, the hosts have the edge.

Prediction: England to win the third ODI and the series against Pakistan