Pakistan vs Canada Prediction: 4/1 Khan to help Pakistan record vital win

Pakistan will already be in must-win mode when they face Canada in a T20 World Cup Group A clash at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday afternoon (15:30).

Here's my Pakistan vs Canada prediction, which includes a pair of 4/1 shots. 

Pakistan Top Run Scorer - Usman Khan @ 4/1

Pakistan's prospects of making it into the Super Eight stage now hinge on them securing wide-margin wins over Canada and Ireland while hoping the Americans suffer heavy defeats against India and Ireland.

Net run rate would be the determining factor in that scenario, so Pakistan could bring in young talent Saim Ayub for this fixture.

Although the 22-year-old is yet to light up the international stage, the left-hander racked up 345 runs at a strike rate of 157.33 in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League.

There has been some speculation that Usman Khan could make way for the generational talent at the top of the order after producing a total of only 16 runs across two knocks in this tournament.

But Khan finished the PSL with 430 runs at 107.5 and a strike rate of 164.12, so it could be counter-productive to Pakistan’s cause to leave him out here.

And, unlike Ayub, he can at least draw on the experience of playing at the ground in New York, albeit he looked very skittish and had to be told to calm down by opener Mohammad Rizwan at one point on Sunday.

But the 29-year-old did top score for Pakistan against England at The Oval late last month and should fare better against the less fearsome Canadian attack than he did against Jasprit Bumrah and co last weekend.

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Canada Top Wicket Taker - Jeremy Gordon @ 4/1

Canada’s bowling unit has a well-balanced look to it with the seamers having kept Ireland’s explosive openers in check during Friday’s run chase while the spinners dried up the boundaries in the middle overs.

Veteran pace bowlers Jeremy Gordon and Dillon Heyliger claimed two wickets apiece in that 12-run win, with Gordon particularly impressive during his three-over powerplay stint.

He was brought back to bowl the final over and clearly seems to be his captain’s most trusted option right now.

The Guyana-born seamer quickly grasped the length required on the up-and-down New York surface and should go well again if he adopts the same approach on Tuesday.

Match 1st Wicket Dismissal - Caught @ 4/9

The nature of the pitch in New York has produced a lot of false shots from the batters and that has subsequently led to a high number of catches being taken.

In the two matches featuring Pakistan and Canada already played at the venue, caught was the method of dismissal in 24 of the 31 wickets to fall.

A catch was taken in the first wicket down in all four innings of Canada, Ireland, India and Pakistan with the first five Canadian batters retired on Friday all going that way.

Again, the requirement for Pakistan to not only win, but win well, should lead to a few aerial chances being taken in the powerplay to add extra value to the 4/9 about the first match wicket dismissal being caught.

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