Match Details

Commentary

That's it from all of us here. Keep joining us for more cricketing action all around the globe. For now, this is me, Akshay Bhide, signing off, on behalf of my co-commentators Deepak Prakash, Ninaad Dixit and scorer Ashok Dayma. Until next time, cheers and good bye.

12:40 AM IST, 20:10 Local Time: The news coming from the center is that the match has been abandoned. The rain has the final say here in Cardiff as the match officials have decided to call off the game.

Another game in the series has been washed out due to rain. The action now shifts to London where the Kennington Oval will host the final game of the series. Do join us for that game on Thursday.

12:31 AM IST, 20:01 Local Time: Uh-oh, an inspection was scheduled in around 10 minutes but the rain has returned. The chances are looking very bleak now, to be honest.

12:20 PM IST, 19:50 Local Time: Good news, folks! The rain has stopped and the groundsmen have started their mopping work. An inspection is scheduled at 8:10 PM Local (12:40 AM Local Time).

12:11 AM IST, 19:41 Local Time: The rain continues to fall, and things are looking ominous.

11:30 PM IST, 7:00 PM Local Time: Nothing new to update, as it's still raining and we have started to lose overs now. Excess water from the covers has been removed by the groundsmen but the rain is persistent. Players are waiting in their respective balconies.

Akshay: Hello to everyone tuning in. Pakistan, as always, are a fast-bowling heavy side in the T20 World Cup. Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir and Abbas Afridi form a solid pace-bowling unit. Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim and Abrar Ahmed are the spin-bowling options. So, Babar Azam will be a relieved man to see all the bowlers fit before the showpiece event because the bowlers play a huge role in winning tournaments. As they say, it's the batters who win you the games but it's the bowlers who win your tournaments. It remains to be seen whether Pakistan go one step ahead after finishing runners-up in the last edition.

Ninaad: Hello Deepak, Akshay and everyone tuning in. The Pakistani players have played plenty of T20 cricket in recent times. They are playing 17 T20 internationals this year (including the remaining 2 games of this series) before they kick start their T20 World Cup campaign which gives them plenty of time to experiment and have a good and settled playing XI. Apart from the internationals, the players have featured in the Pakistan Super League as well.

Coming to the World Cup squad, its their pace bowling attack which I think is their strongest suit. Mohammad Amir is back and has formed a trio with Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah. Haris Rauf is another interesting pick in the squad. I think the spin department needs to contribute a bit more as Shadab Khan hasn't quite find his touch with consistency in the past year or so.

Deepak: Hello, everyone! As we wait for the rain to stop, let's welcome Akshay and Ninaad for a chat. Hello guys, Pakistan have announced their World Cup squad a couple of days ago. What's your call on Pakistan's squad?

11:00 PM IST, 18:30 Local Time: The intensity of the rain has eased a bit, but it's still steady. We will start losing overs from 11:30 PM IST (7 PM Local Time).

10:34 PM IST, 6:04 PM Local Time: It is persistently raining at Sophia Gardens, the latest we can start for a 5-over shootout is 9:16 PM Local Time (1:46 AM IST, Wednesday).

10:28 PM IST, 17:58 Local Time: It's still raining at the moment and the toss has been delayed. There is a 30-minute buffer period, and we will start losing overs after that.

10:00 PM IST, 17:30 Local Time: The forecast for this match is not promising as there is rain around at the venue, and the latest news we have is that it's drizzling at the moment and the hover cover is on.

ICYMI: Jos Buttler will miss this match due to the birth of his third child, and Moeen Ali will lead the hosts in his absence.

Head-to-head (Last five matches):

England: 4
Pakistan: 0
No Result: 1

Pre-Match Pitch Report: The surface at Sophia Gardens favours the pacers more than the spinners. Under overcast conditions, the ball swings for a good period of time. However, the batters will have to try to apply themselves and negate the bowlers with a calculative approach. It may soothe the team batting first.

9:56 PM IST, 17:26 Local Time: Howdy, folks! Hello and a warm welcome to the live coverage of the third T20I between England and Pakistan at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.

I am Deepak Prakash, and I will soon be accompanied by co-commentators Akshay Bhide, Ninaad Dixit, and scorer/analyst Ashok Dayma. We will provide you with all the live ball-by-ball analysis of this contest.