Pakistan vs England, T20 World Cup final: Afridi vs English openers and other key battles expected at the 'G'

The 2022 T20 World Cup has nearly reached its conclusion, with just one match left in the itinerary — the big final at the equally big ‘G’. Pakistan and England square off in the grand finale at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday in what will be a repeat of the 1992 ODI World Cup final, although this time it will be contested in the 20-over format. T20 World Cup: Full coverage | Schedule | Results | Points Table | News | Photos Both teams are coming off convincing victories in the semi-finals; Pakistan continued their fairy-tale run in the World Cup by comfortably chasing down the 153-run target set by New Zealand in the first semi-final in Sydney on Wednesday. The team that was staring at the prospect of an early flight back home instead finds itself on the cusp of a miracle. The India-England semi-final in Adelaide the following day was even more one-sided, with the opening pair of Jos Buttler and Alex Hales responding to the 169-run target set by the Men in Blue with an unbroken 170-run stand in just 16 overs, guiding the side to its third ICC World Cup final (both ODI and T20I) in four editions with the 10-wicket thrashing. Both teams have won one World Cup each — Pakistan had followed their 2007 heartbreak with a victory over Sri Lanka in the 2009 final at Lord’s. England would then ended their wait for a maiden World Cup title by defeating arch-rivals Australia in the 2010 final in Bridgetown. The winner of the final on Sunday will join West Indies as one of the only two nations with multiple T20 World Cup wins. Ahead of the final, we take a look at some of the key battles and match-ups between the two sides: Shaheen Afridi vs Jos Buttler and Alex Hales Buttler and Hales are without a doubt the biggest talking point ahead of the final, given the manner in which they tore the hapless Indian bowling unit apart on Thursday. The pair has clicked brilliantly in this tournament and might just become England’s go-to opening combo in future games. Despite their 170-run unbroken stand, Buttler and Hales will be wary of the Pakistani bowling attack, especially Shaheen Shah Afridi. The left-arm pacer struggled initially in the tournament, but is peaking at the right time. Afridi had starred in the crucial win against Bangladesh with a four-wicket haul and got rid of dangerous opener Finn Allen early in the powerplay in the semi-final clash. And come Sunday, he’ll hope his lethal yorkers are able to contain the firepower at the top of the English batting order. Mark Wood vs Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan English pacer Mark Wood could have an impact on the Pakistani top-order similar to what Afridi would against Buttler and Hales, provided he’s declared fit for the final and is brought back into the XI in place of Chris Jordan. Wood had complained of “stiffness” after their final Super 12 clash against Sri Lanka and had subsequently missed the semi-final clash against India.

Wood has been lethal throughout this tournament, going past the 150 kmph-mark far more often than any other bowler and the destruction that his sheer pace unleashes could help England get rid of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, the Pakistani opening pair that had looked patchy for the most part in the tournament but dominated the New Zealand attack on Wednesday with a 105-run stand. Iftikhar Ahmed vs left-arm seam Iftikhar Ahmed has been among the most consistent performers for Pakistan this year, dishing out match-winning performances in the Asia Cup earlier this year as well as in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The right-hand batter has collected two half-centuries so far in this tournament, against India and South Africa respectively, striking better than some of his superstar teammates who bat above him, and remains a vital cog in the middle-order. There is an area of concern for him though — he had been dismissed five times by left-arm seamers in the seven-match T20I series against England before the T20 World Cup — twice each by Sam Curran and David Willey and once by Luke Wood — and once in the ongoing tournament (Mustafizur Rahman). Expect Buttler to deploy Curran, who is among the leading wicket-takers this tournament, to prise out this wicket. Moeen Ali vs Shadab Khan Moeen Ali’s form with the bat nosedived in the T20 World Cup after a stellar run in the Pakistan tour, where he also led the team in Buttler’s absence, and is due a big knock in this tournament. And given his ability to handle spin fairly well, he might just well be looked at as the man to tackle the Shadab Khan threat in the middle overs. Shadab himself has delivered with the ball consistently in this tournament besides also starring with the bat in the crunch game against South Africa, and the Englishmen will be wary of the threat that he poses besides the fiery pacers. It’s worth noting that Moeen has a strike rate of 177 in his head-to-head battle with Shadab in the shortest format. Ben Stokes vs Haris Rauf Should this contest turn into another nail-biter, if the weather gods permit the game to go ahead without a hitch that is, we could witness a contest for the ages in the death overs. England all-rounder and Test captain Ben Stokes has won many a match for his side across formats, including the 2019 ODI World Cup final, and his finishing abilities were once again on display in the Super 12 clash against Sri Lanka, where he steered his side to safety from a shaky position.

Standing up when your country needs you.

Shock horror, Ben Stokes gets it done.#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/meMHHgCofx

— England's Barmy Army 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🎺 (@TheBarmyArmy) November 5, 2022

Haris Rauf, another Pakistani who has achieved worldwide fame with his lethal pace, is one of Pakistan’s favoured options for the death overs and a battle between Stokes and Rauf in the final four overs already sounds like a mouth-watering prospect. Rauf for once, would be hoping to bury the disappointment of getting hit for back-to-back sixes by Virat Kohli earlier in the tournament with a performance for the ages in the summit clash.

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