The Final of the 2022 t20 World Cup will see a a meeting between England and Pakistan, two teams who have a lot of recent shared T20I history. The finale of the tournament at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will see the two meet for the eighth time in T20Is in under two months. England won a generally tightly-contested seven match series in Pakistan 4-3 back in September and October.
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| Babar Azam and Jos Buttler pose next to the t20 World Cup ahead of the Final between Pakistan and England at the MCG in Melbourne [CREDIT - IDI/Handout via Getty Images] |
England's ultimately smooth passage to the t20 World Cup Final
England breezed into the final with an incredible 10-wicket victory over India in Adelaide. Chasing 169, Jos Buttler and Alex Hales combined to knock the runs off in just 16 overs to complete the rout. The difference in intent through the respective powerplays played a big part in the overall ease of the semi final win. Having done well to restrict India through the first ten overs, a Hardik Pandya special then saw a respectable 168-6 posted.
But it was the intent of Buttler, who struck his bogeyman Bhuvneshwar Kumar for three boundaries in the first over to set the tone, and Hales that made the job almost all-but-done inside the first six overs. Indeed, it was Hales that took the attack to the Indian bowlers, with Buttler playing more of a support role before exploding towards the end and sealing the game with a six down the ground.
Embed from Getty ImagesPakistan go from the lows to the highs to enter the Final with genuine momentum
Pakistan may well count themselves fortunate to find themselves here, given how they lost their first two games and were reliant on a seemingly unlikely South Africa loss. Having said that, they could also say that they were unfortunate to lose those opening two, having been in very favourable positions in each.
A Virat Kohli-inspired performance saw Pakistan devastatingly lose their opener, before once again snatching defeat from the jaws of victory against Zimbabwe in a one-run loss. They then swept both the Netherlands and South Africa aside, before winning a low-scoring game against Bangladesh to secure an unlikely semi-final berth.
They were then supremely impressive against New Zealand in that semi-final, keeping the Kiwis down to 152-4 before knocking the runs off in a largely comfortable manner.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhat can be taken from the 2022 Pakistan vs England T20I series?
While a few things can be gleaned from the recent seven encounters between the two, there is also a lot of differences that will make the Final a completely different prospect. For Pakistan, their star fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi was absent through injury and has shown improved form with each game, culminating in a brilliant 4-22 in the semi final.
For England, Liam Livingstone and skipper Jos Buttler sat out the entire series, while Ben Stokes did not make the trip. The conditions in Pakistan are also different to that in Australia, along with the small matter of the sheer importance of a t20 World Cup Final. There is also a lingering potential for rain in Melbourne that could well play a factor one way or another.
The key factors in the England vs Pakistan matchup
Despite the aforementioned seven match series that provided a host of insight and data, the England batting powerplay will likely take a completely different shape. With Afridi, one of the best powerplay bowlers in the world, taking on Buttler, there is all of a sudden a new matchup to take into account. Even with an early wicket, Stokes could well come in at number three with Dawid Malan a potential doubt, though Phil Salt could be the more likely option.
Embed from Getty ImagesThere is a lot of talk regarding the two respective powerplays, with captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan often taking a more circumspect approach in the first six overs. England typically throw caution to the wind in the opening stanza of T20I innings and a lot may depend on how they deal with Afridi. Indeed, there are potential parallels to draw between Pakistan's batting powerplay approach and India's. Pakistan, though, have arguably the best bowling attack in the tournament.
England may well miss the raw pace of Mark Wood who, like Malan, is battling fitness issues and faces a race against time to be passed fit. As has been the case many times with Pakistan, an early wicket of Babar or Rizwan could spell danger, given their typical reliance on the duo. Babar has not had the most productive tournament but still remains one of the best pure batsmen in the world.
Embed from Getty ImagesAs often is the case, the toss could provide a big bearing on the outcome. With rain forecast, the toss could prove crucial depending on the conditions at play.
Either way, the Final sees two of the best T20I teams in the past 12 months or so and a clash of styles, with the deep and dangerous batting lineup of England up against the varied and high-quality bowling attack of Pakistan. A great battle is truly in store.
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