ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Final, PAK vs ENG: While history favours Pakistan, form takes England's corner
ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Pakistan will encounter England in the final in Melbourne on Sunday. While the former aims to repeat history, the latter is in form and would make things challenging.
FollowBy Kushan Sarkar
A determined Babar Azam will be aiming to secure his seat beside the great Imran Khan in former champion Pakistan cricket's Hall of Fame as his team takes on a formidable fellow former champion England in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday. The passage of 2009 champions into the final could even beat a Hollywood thriller script as they were down and out after the tournament's first week with morale-shattering defeats to arch-rivals India and minnows Zimbabwe. Pakistan raised hopes of a dramatic comeback in the second week of the event, with a win over South Africa and a prayer on their lips for some divine intervention.
Just like in 1992, a miracle happened when the Netherlands produced a performance for the ages to shock South Africa. Out of nowhere, Pakistan was in contention for a semi-final berth. Critics say that in cricket, you never know which Pakistan turns on a particular day, and the semis performance against a well-rounded New Zealand side showed that when it comes to playing edge-of-the-seat Russian Roulette', the Green Machines' are second to none.
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But just like everyone wants a slice of '92 from Babar's team, the core of this current English team also has a date with history on this very Australian soil. Seven years ago, in 2015, this was the country where England's white-ball cricket lay in tatters after it was dumped out of the competition at the group league stage by Bangladesh.
The white ball cricket transformation started with the horses for courses approach by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), leading to a sea change in the mindset and intent of the English players. That fearless approach was on full display against India on Thursday. The Shaheen Shah Afridis, Mohammed Wasim Jr. and the Harris Raufs will need more than just inspiration to get past the likes of Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali.
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These are all sought-after practitioners of Twenty20 (T20) cricket, and all of them can silence the 80,000-odd Pakistan fans, just like they did with the bulk of the 42,000 Indian fans in Adelaide. Can Afridi do a Wasim Akram when Buttler is batting, or Babar and Rizwan take the game deep in their styles like Imran Khan and Javed Miandad did in that 1992 final?
Big matches always bring prominent performers to the centre stage, and Stokes, for one, wouldn't mind a repeat of his 2019 Lord's performance to win the silverware. The weather forecast predicts that the final could be marred by rain on Sunday and the reserve day, which is Monday. Unlike a standard T20 game, which could be a minimum five-over contest, the event technical committee has kept provisions for a minimum of 10-overs a side contest with an early (3 PM Melbourne time) start on the reserve day if needed.
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On a spicy deck like the MCG, the presence of Mark Wood would have been an advantage, but the tearaway quick's back isn't holding up well. Despite the pasting he got from Hardik Pandya, Chris Jordan is a fine T20 bowler in his right and would like to use his extensive Big Bash League (BBL) experience to get the better of the Pakistani batters.
If both batting units are considered, England with Hales, Buttler, Stokes, Phil Salt (in place of Dawid Malan), Harry Brook, Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone look stronger on paper against Pakistan with Rizwan, Babar, Shan Masood, Mohammed Haris and Iftikhar Ahmed. But on big days, it is not always the names that matter but also the mindset and temperament to last the distance.
Squads
England: Jos Buttler (c & wk), Alex Hales, Philip Salt (wk), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Moeen Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Sam Curran, Mark Wood and Tymal Mills.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammed Rizwan (wk), Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammed Haris (wk), Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Mohammed Wasim, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shadab Ahmed, Mohammed Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammed Hasnain.
Match details
Date and day: November 13, 2022 (Sunday)
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Time: 1.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi & Sports Select (Also available in HD)
Where to watch (Online): Hotstar
(With inputs from PTI)
