In the final frontier of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, England and Pakistan will go toe-to-toe on Sunday, November 13 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne at 1:30 PM IST. Both countries have won the T20 World Cup once and will look to lay their hands on the prestigious trophy one more time.
Following a fairytale turnaround, Pakistan will be walking into this fixture with their heads up high. After losing their first two games, the Asian team was all set to return home. After three consecutive victories and with South Africa choking in a vital game against the Netherlands, Pakistan grabbed the opportunity and qualified for the knockout stage. The Babar Azam-led team wasn’t certainly favourites against New Zealand in the first semi-final, but the team shocked the world with how they beat the Kiwis in a one-sided game. One of the biggest plus points for Pakistan is that senior players like Muhammad Rizwan, Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi have regained their form and momentum just when the team needed the most. The opening pair failed to provide a good start earlier but the duo of Azam-Rizwan scored half-centuries each in the semi-final and the star pacer, Afridi, also pocketed wickets in the previous two games. The Pakistani camp will look to win the final and recreate their 2009 glory.
On the other end, England are going through a dominant stint in the ongoing multi-team cricket event. Apart from the defeat against Ireland due to sudden showers, the Englishmen have been on fire with their attacking approach. Alex Hales and Jos Buttler have been providing a flyer start while the likes of Adil Rashid, Chris Jordan and Chris Woakes have been minting wickets in crunch situations. England stormed into the final of the competition after thrashing India earlier this week by 10 wickets. The opening pair didn’t bother other batters while chasing 169 and completed the task in 16 overs against a quality Indian bowling attack. Buttler and his men will aim to continue their aggressive approach in the final, one last time in the tournament and take the trophy home.
Head-to-Head:
In the head-to-head competition in the shortest format, England are way ahead of Pakistan. The two teams collided on 28 occasions, and the Englishmen won 18 games while Pakistan emerged victorious on nine occasions.
Where to watch:
TV – Star Sports Network
OTT – Disney+ Hotstar