After a stunning win in the series opener, Spain and Portugal face each other in their second encounter at the La Manga Club. Portugal was restricted to a lowly 87 which the Spanish were able to chase it with minimal fuss. The likes of Ravi Panchal and Faran Afzal are capable of single-handedly winning games for Spain, which gives them the favourites tag as well. In spite of a poor start to the tournament, Portugal will hope to come back strongly and make a mark against the hosts in the Iberia Cup 2019.
Match Details
Portugal vs Spain
La Manga, Cartagena, Murcia.
October 26th, 2019
6:45 PM IST
Pitch Report
The pitch generally favours the bowlers with low-scoring encounters being a common sight. With the relatively small boundaries playing into their hands, the batsmen should also do well with an even contest between bat and ball expected. 130 would be par on this surface.
Weather Report
The weather is all clear for this game which should make for an interesting game of cricket. There isn’t any chance of rain with temperatures hovering around 26 degrees Celsius.
Injuries: No injuries are reported
Predicted XI
Portugal:
Portugal will depend on star allrounder Tariq Aziz, who is capable of picking wickets on a consistent basis. While they did struggle against spin in the first game, the likes of Shahzad and Stoman are key to their fortunes. Amer Ikram scored 23 runs at a decent rate and is one to watch out in the Portugal roster.
Zohaib Sarwar, Arslan Ahmed, Paulo Buccimazza, Amer Ikram, Fakhrul Hussain, Mian Mehmood, Najjam Shahzad, Imran Khan, Francoise Stoman, Syed Ali Naqi and Tariq Aziz
Spain:
As for the hosts, not many changes are expected after a successful start to the tournament. Ravi Panchal and Faran Afzal were in good form with the ball while Paul Hennessy scored a quick-fire cameo at the top of the order. With the depth they possess in the batting unit, Spain will look to extend its winning run and finish their campaign with a win.
Tom Vine, Kuldeep Lal, Raja Adeel, Faran Afzal, Vinod Kumar, Yasir Ali, Ravi Panchal, Paul Hennessy, Christian Munoz, Awais Ahmed, Atif Mehmood
Top Picks:
Although Ravi Panchal didn’t score many runs and or pick a wicket in the first game, he should make amends against the same opponents on Saturday. Along with him, Faran Afzal and Paul Hennessy are also decent options with Hennessy putting in a man of the match performance in the tournament opener. While Tom Vine and Mehmood also find a place in the side, Shahzad also fits the bill with the Portuguese all-rounder even scoring some runs in the first game. Much is expected from Tariq Aziz with both and ball as he should earn some fantasy points in this game.
Captaincy Picks:
1. Ravi Panchal
2. Faraz Afzal
3. A Ahmed
Fantasy Team & Point Projections
F Stoman, Points: 28-30, Grade: B
F Afzal, Points: 68-70, Grade: A
C Munoz, Points: 60-62, Grade: A
A Ahmed, Points: 55-57, Grade: A
P Hennessy, Points: 25-27, Grade: B
T Aziz, Points: 45-47, Grade: A
Z Sarwar, Points: 39-41, Grade: B
R Panchal, Points: 80-82, Grade: A
T Vine, Points: 48-50, Grade: A
A Mehmood, Points: 30-32, Grade: B
N Shahzad, Points: 40-42, Grade: A
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are that of the author and not an actual reflection of the number of points that the player will earn.
