ENG vs PAK Dream11 Prediction (1st T20I): 3 players you can pick as captain or vice-captain for today's match

After a Test series marred by rain and their own inconsistent performances, Pakistan take on hosts England in the first of 3 T20Is. The visitors, who were in a commanding position halfway through the 1st Test, squandered their advantage to lose the match before tame draws ensued in the next two.

The visitors have many players from the Test series, such as captain Babar Azam, Man of the Series Mohammad Rizwan and pacers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

England, on the other hand, have a completely new-look squad as captain Eoin Morgan looks to follow up his recent ODI series win over Ireland with another convincing display. The Three Lions' team also features the likes of Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow, who are expected to shine before they fly to the UAE for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Here are three players you could pick as captain or vice-captain in your Dream11 team for the ENG vs PAK 1st T20I.

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#3 Dawid Malan

Malan scored a double-hundred less than two weeks ago | Dream11 Tips

Yorkshire batsman Dawid Malan is definitely one batsman to keep an eye on in this game. The 32-year-old boasts of a dazzling T20 record, with 469 runs in 10 games at an average of 52.1 and a strike rate of 153.8. He is also in excellent form, having scored a double-hundred against Derbyshire less than two weeks ago in the Bob Willis Trophy.

Malan is one of two England players to have registered a century in the T20I format, but fell victim to a calf injury that kept him out of a part of the English summer. The destructive southpaw is definitely a player who can fetch a huge points haul in your ENG vs PAK Dream11 team.

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#2 Babar Azam

Azam will have to lead from the front for Pakistan | Dream11 Tips

Pakistan captain Babar Azam will have to lead from the front in this T20I series. The No. 1 T20I batsman in the ICC rankings, Azam will be out to prove his detractors wrong.

After coming into the England Test series with a lot of hype surrounding him and his inclusion into the famous 'Fab Four', the 25-year-old arguably didn't live up to expectations in a series that could've had a far worse scoreline if not for rain. Azam is in the top 5 in the ICC batting rankings, and is certainly far more capable than his recent form suggests.

He could add significantly to the 1,471 runs he has scored in just 38 T20Is, with his average of 50.7 lending weight to the idea that he could be your captain or vice-captain for your ENG vs PAK Dream11 team.

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#1 Jonny Bairstow

Bairstow is a colossus in white-ball cricket | Dream11 Tips

Opener Jonny Bairstow is easily the best choice to be your Dream11 captain or vice-captain for the ENG vs PAK 1st T20I. The Yorkshireman is an absolute colossus in white-ball cricket, and scored a 41-ball 82 in the 2nd ODI of the recently-concluded series against Ireland.

Bairstow will also be looking to use this T20I series (as well as the next one against Australia) as preparation for the IPL, which will be held in the UAE next month. The 30-year-old will play a key role for David Warner's Sunrisers Hyderabad at the top of the order, and he will be looking to go all guns blazing against Pakistan, making him an ideal candidate for your Dream11 team.