Pakistan vs England T20 World Cup Final Preview

44 matches and nearly one month later, we have our two finalists for the 2022 T20 World Cup as England will take on Pakistan in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday. Both sides will be gunning for their 2nd T20 World Cup title in Melbourne, with a chance to join the West Indies as the joint-most decorated nation in this competition. 

England enter the final on the back of their crushing victory over India in the semi-finals at Adelaide, and Jos Buttler’s side have the opportunity to add to their 2019 World Cup win by lifting another ICC trophy on Sunday. Pakistan had a slightly more fortuitous route to the final, but Babar Azam’s side are starting to peak at the right time after registering convincing victories over South Africa, Bangladesh and New Zealand in the lead-up to the crunch encounter at the MCG.

Matchups that matter

Jos Buttler vs Shaheen Afridi

After a slow start to the tournament, Shaheen Afridi has come into his own in the back half of the World Cup, with the left-armer picking up nine wickets in his last three matches. Afridi blew upon the semi-final with the early wicket of Finn Allen in the first over, and his battle against Jos Buttler will have a big say in defining the outcome of the final. Buttler has an excellent white-ball record against Afridi, but if the Pakistani pacer can find some early swing and uproot the opposition skipper, it could expose a relatively untested and inexperienced England middle order.

Pitch Conditions

The MCG is one of the biggest grounds in the world and hence won’t be a six-hitting paradise due to the nature of the dimensions. However, the surface tends to be one of the best in Australia for batters, with an average first innings score of 165 in the BBL since 2017. The threat of rain also looms for this encounter, with reports suggesting there could be a 95% chance of showers during the game.

Probable XI’s

Following their opening two defeats to India and Zimbabwe, Pakistan have fielded a settled XI throughout the T20 World Cup and are unlikely to make any changes heading into the final on Sunday.

Pakistan: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah

Dawid Malan and Mark Wood missed out on England’s semi-final encounter against India and are both facing a race against time to be available for Jos Buttler’s side in the final. Phil Salt deputized for Malan at Adelaide and took the crucial catch of Suryakumar Yadav, while Wood’s replacement Jordan picked up the three crucial wickets of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya.

England: Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Phil Salt, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Chris Jordan

Writer’s predictions

Top scorers: Mohammad Rizwan – Pakistan, Alex Hales – England

Top wicket-taker: Shaheen Afridi – Pakistan, Sam Curran – England

Winner – England