MELBOURNE: A confident England will look to deny Pakistan a fairytale ending in Sunday’s T20 World Cup final and, if Melbourne’s inclement weather permits, become the first to lift both world white-ball trophies. The country will become
Heavy rain could disrupt the Melbourne Cricket Ground showdown and even the joint champions if they fail to complete at least 10 overs by the end of Reserve Day on Monday.
However, things should stop long enough for a contest between the two nations who played a 50-over World Cup at the MCG 30 years ago.
After shaky starts, both hit top gear in the semi-finals, with Pakistan beating New Zealand by seven wickets in Sydney and England beating India by 10 wickets in Adelaide.
Pakistan, the 2009 champions, had an enthralling tournament after being on the brink of defeat by Zimbabwe, with Holland helping them into the semi-finals by defeating South Africa.
Thirty years after Imran Khan’s Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup, Babar Azam’s side feel they are destined to deliver the trophy.
“Of course, the similarities are (there),” Babar told reporters after the 1992 final.
“But we will try to win the trophy because it is an honor for me to lead this team, especially on this big ground.”
England, the reigning 50-over world champions, are looking to win a second World T20 title after their 2010 triumph and build on the legacy of former captain Eoin Morgan, who turned the team into a white-ball juggernaut.
New captain Jos Buttler had big shoes to fill following Morgan’s retirement but has led from the front alongside rehabilitated opener Alex Hales.
The opening partnerships in the semi-final were decisive, with Babar and Mohammad Rizwan scoring 105 runs to win against New Zealand before Buttler and Hales hammered India with 170 runs on the night.
The pressure will be on the bowlers of both teams to strike early, lest the game slip away from them early.
Babar said that using the powerplay to get maximum wickets will be essential for the match.
There are some secrets between the teams, with Pakistan taking a 4-3 lead in the T20I series at home to England.
They also played in a rain-affected World Cup warm-up in Brisbane, which England won by six wickets.
Unhappy Hunting Grounds
Neither could win the tournament at the MCG, though, with Pakistan losing a Super 12 thriller to arch-rivals India and England in a rain-affected upset against Ireland. .
“Obviously the Ireland game has been a big disappointment for us as a team this whole tournament, but it certainly feels like a long time ago now,” Butler said.
“I think we’ve seen the reaction to that game in the cricket we’ve played so far.”
There are likely to be some changes in Pakistan but England could opt to bring back express fast bowler Mark Wood and number three batsman David Mullan if the pair are fit.
The final has been billed as a battle between Pakistan’s pace attack and England’s top order, but both sides boast other weapons.
England’s Sam Curran has been a fearless death bowler while leg-spinner Adil Rashid proved to be an unlikely hero against India.
Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan took 10 wickets in the tournament and his poor middle order carried the team while Babar and Rizwan struggled.
The crowd will be dominated by an army of green-clad Pakistani fans but it may have little effect on England, who were delighted to silence a large crowd of Indian supporters at the Adelaide Oval.
Potential teams.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Muhammad Rizwan (wicket), Shan Masood, Muhammad Haris, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Muhammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Muhammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi.
England: Alex Hales, Jos Buttler (c, wk), Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
