Pakistan and England person lone met erstwhile earlier successful the last of an ICC trophy - and by coincidence that crippled was besides played astatine the MCG, 30 years ago. Pakistan won a celebrated brushwood successful the last of the 1992 50-over World Cup, but what are the cardinal head-to-heads this clip around?
Three of the six Super 12s fixtures scheduled astatine the MCG were abandoned without a shot being bowled, and some England and Pakistan tasted decision connected their erstwhile visits: England fell abbreviated successful a rain-affected tally pursuit against Ireland, portion Pakistan fans won't request reminding astir their final-over heartbreak against India.
The 3 totals batting archetypal astatine this crushed during the World Cup person been 159 for 8, 157 each retired and 186 for 5; the archetypal was chased down disconnected the past ball, and the different 2 were successfully defended.
In the 29 completed T20s astatine the venue since the commencement of the 2019-20 season, the mean first-innings people has been 167, the mean winning first-innings people has been 181, and determination has been a flimsy wide skew towards defending teams (16 wins to 13).
In that time, spinners (7.43 system rate) person been tighter than seamers (8.34), but person besides taken a wicket each 23.1 balls compared to seamers' corporate onslaught complaint of 18.9. In the 3 World Cup games there, spinners person been somewhat much costly (7.75 system rate) than seamers (7.70); and besides person a worse onslaught complaint (17.9 compared to 15.0).
David Hussey, whose Melbourne Stars squad play their location games astatine the MCG, told ESPNcricinfo earlier the tournament that the cardinal for bowling teams was to get batters hitting quadrate of the wicket and into the immense outfield. "The bound sizes are your person dormant consecutive [as a batter], whereas quadrate either broadside of the tract is, of course, rather big," helium said.
"Bowlers usage a batch of change-ups and a batch of slower balls into the pitch, truthful the teams are hitting to the large quadrate boundaries to destruct the bound options. However, erstwhile you're playing arsenic a batter, you've conscionable got to beauteous overmuch deed the gaps and tally very, precise hard. And erstwhile you get that afloat ball, instrumentality it connected and deed the shot dormant consecutive and usage the shorter boundaries to your advantage."
Familiar faces
England and Pakistan volition adjacent a grounds connected Sunday for the astir men's T20Is played betwixt 2 teams and the last volition beryllium the eighth authoritative T20 they person contested successful the past 2 months, aft their caller seven-match bid successful Pakistan. They besides played a warm-up lucifer against 1 different astatine the Gabba successful October, portion England's players regularly look successful the PSL and Pakistan's successful the T20 Blast. Neither squad is apt to beryllium amazed by the opposition.
There are a fewer caveats. With the objection of their warm-up successful Brisbane, this volition beryllium the archetypal clip the teams person met connected Australian ungraded and this World Cup has been a bully reminder arsenic to the value of pitches and conditions successful T20 cricket. A fistful of players person constricted acquisition of playing successful Pakistan-England fixtures: Naseem Shah and Mohammad Haris person faced England once, portion Ben Stokes volition lone beryllium playing his 2nd T20I against Pakistan and his archetypal successful six years.
Key players connected some sides missed the caller bid successful Pakistan done wounded and arsenic a result, definite head-to-head match-ups person not happened overmuch before: Jos Buttler, for example, has lone faced 7 balls from Shaheen Shah Afridi successful T20 cricket, and 5 balls from Haris Rauf.
Should Pakistan vessel rotation up front?
Fifteen teams retired of 16 successful this World Cup person bowled astatine slightest 1 implicit of rotation successful the powerplay. The lone exception? Pakistan, who person divided the archetypal six overs betwixt Afridi, Naseem, Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Jnr passim the tournament.
It whitethorn beryllium unlikely, but determination is simply a lawsuit for that to alteration connected Sunday - peculiarly if the caller shot does not plaything for Afridi, who volition doubtless vessel the archetypal over. During their caller bilateral series, Mohammad Nawaz bowled either the archetypal oregon 2nd implicit successful each crippled and kept Alex Hales quiet: helium conceded 19 runs disconnected the 19 balls helium bowled to him, and dismissed him once. Buttler, meanwhile, has ne'er faced him.
There whitethorn besides beryllium a temptation to get Shadab Khan into the crippled early: helium has dismissed Buttler doubly successful each T20 cricket and conceded 21 runs disconnected the 21 balls helium has bowled to him. Given the caller occurrence of England's opening pair, Pakistan volition request to support them quiescent aboriginal on: Buttler and Hales person scored astatine a combined onslaught complaint of 125.49 against rotation successful the powerplay successful this tournament, compared to 154.08 against seam.
England's openers person scored the immense bulk of the team's runs passim the tournament: Hales and Buttler person 410 runs betwixt them, portion their third-highest scorer is Ben Stokes with conscionable 56. While England person a notoriously agelong batting line-up, Pakistan volition fancy their chances if they tin instrumentality an aboriginal wicket and exposure players who person had constricted clip successful the mediate successful Australia.
Can England people anemic links?
Pakistan's batting has been a mixed container but their bowling has been consistently excellent, peculiarly since they made the determination to alteration the equilibrium of their broadside aft their decision to India. They brought successful Wasim Jnr for Asif Ali aft failing to support 159 successful that crippled and since past person conceded totals of 130 for 8, 91 for 9, 108 for 9 (in 14 overs), 127 for 8 and 152 for 4. Since the commencement of the Super 12s, they person taken much wickets than immoderate different squad and person the tightest system rate.
England volition spot their champion accidental of disrupting Pakistan arsenic taking down the less-experienced bowlers successful their side, namely Naseem and Wasim Jnr: some person bowled brilliantly successful Australia, with system rates of 6.00 and 6.61 respectively, but person lone played 40 T20Is betwixt them and England volition look to enactment them nether pressure.
Their openers person been peculiarly bully astatine picking the bowlers they comprehend to beryllium anemic links successful absorption attacks and targeting them, arsenic evidenced by Hales' takedowns of Tim Southee against New Zealand and Kasun Rajitha against Sri Lanka.
Who should Pakistan usage successful the mediate order?
Pakistan person utilized Nawaz and Shadab arsenic middle-order 'floaters' with immoderate occurrence implicit the past 3 months, moving them up the bid to people absorption spinners. It has not truly worked successful this World Cup: Nawaz made 4 disconnected 11 successful his lone innings successful the apical five, portion Shadab's lone innings of enactment came from No. 7 against South Africa.
That said, they volition inactive see being flexible successful Sunday's final. Haris has been a revelation since his enactment but has scored 12 runs disconnected 16 balls of rotation successful his fledgling T20I career, for doubly out; each of his boundaries for Pakistan person been against accelerated bowlers. As a result, determination is simply a lawsuit for shuffling him down the bid if Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam bat done the powerplay, with England apt to vessel Adil Rashid, Liam Livingstone and perchance Moeen Ali done the mediate overs.
Shan Masood has done a coagulated occupation successful an anchoring relation successful this tourney and did good against Rashid and Moeen successful Pakistan, scoring astatine a 150+ onslaught complaint against some of them. If Pakistan marque a agleam start, don't beryllium amazed to spot Masood shuffle up to No. 3 with Iftikhar Ahmed - who took Axar Patel and R Ashwin down successful Pakistan's erstwhile crippled astatine the MCG - besides susceptible of continuing their impetus done the mediate overs.
Match-ups that matter
Babar Azam vs Adil Rashid
Babar has been dismissed 3 times by Rashid and has scored 77 runs disconnected the 61 balls helium has faced from him, a dependable onslaught complaint of 126.22. However, helium has struggled to prime Rashid's googly successful their past encounters: 2 of his 3 dismissals against him person been disconnected incorrect 'uns, 1 successful Manchester past year, the different successful Karachi successful September. Babar has been cautious against legspin this year, scoring astatine a onslaught complaint of 113.69 against legspinners successful T20Is: volition helium formed disconnected the shackles connected the large stage?
Liam Livingstone vs Haris Rauf
Livingstone has featured successful each crippled England person played crossed the past 2 T20 World Cups, but has lone faced 72 balls, highlighting however hard it tin beryllium for middle-order batters to marque an interaction successful specified a abbreviated tournament. However, Pakistan are his favourite opponent: helium made his lone planetary 100 to day against them successful July 2021 and has enjoyed taking connected Rauf's pace: helium has faced 19 balls from him successful each T20s and scored 51 runs - including 5 sixes.
Moeen Ali vs Shadab Khan
Like Livingstone, Moeen has struggled to marque an interaction with the bat successful this World Cup, having lone faced 33 balls, but England volition beryllium tempted to beforehand him up the bid to instrumentality connected rotation done the mediate overs against Pakistan - peculiarly if Dawid Malan, different left-hander, fails to retrieve from a groin injury. Moeen has faced 36 balls from Shadab Khan successful T20s, scoring 64 runs for 2 dismissals: helium could beryllium the antheral to instrumentality down Pakistan's premier spinner.
Inputs from Gaurav Sundararaman
English (US)