T20 World Cup Final, Pakistan vs England: Key player battles
What's the story
Pakistan and England are gearing up to lock horns in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. The high-octane contest will take place at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday (November 13). While Pakistan comprehensively defeated New Zealand by seven wickets in the first semi-final, the second semi-final saw England annihilate India by 10 wickets. We decode the key player battles.
#1
Jos Buttler vs Shaheen Afridi
With 10 wickets, Shaheen Afridi is Pakistan's joint-leading wicket-taker in the tournament (ER: 6.17). As he has been brilliant with the new ball, England skipper Jos Buttler must tackle him with precision. Buttler, who scored 80* in his last outing, has a strike rate of 154.82 against left-arm pacers in T20Is. However, he has also fallen prey to them 10 times in 32 innings.
#2
Alex Hales vs Haris Rauf
Two players with plenty of experience on Australian tracks, Alex Hales and Haris Rauf would aim to get better of each other. Rauf has so far scalped six wickets in the tournament (ER: 7.04). On the other hand, Hales is England's leading run-getter in the competition with 211 runs. Notably, Rauf has dismissed the England batter twice in five T20 meetings.
#3
Ben Stokes vs Shadab Khan
Shadab Khan has been on a roll in the tournament, having scalped 10 wickets (ER: 6.59). He will have the onus to keep Ben Stokes quiet in the middle overs. The southpaw has not been at his best with the bat lately, having scored 58 runs in the tournament (SR: 105.45). Stokes has been dismissed by leg-spinners five times in 11 T20I innings.
#4
Iftikhar Ahmed vs Adil Rashid
Although Adil Rashid has taken just two wickets in the competition, his economy rate reads 6.25. While the leg-spinner would look to keep the scoring rate down, Iftikhar Ahmed will have the onus to spoil his plans. The dasher has scored 114 runs at a strike rate of 131.03 in the tournament. Iftikhar strikes at 141.86 against leg-spinners in T20Is.
#5
Babar Azam vs Sam Curran
After a string of low scores, Babar Azam scored a half-century in the semi-final. He would like to shine in the final clash as well. Azam's primary challenge would be tackling Sam Curran with the new ball. The England pacer has so far scalped 10 wickets in five games (ER: 7.28). Babar has a strike rate of 141.46 against left-arm pacers in T20Is.
Details
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
Sides batting second have won 11 of 21 T20Is at the MCG. Batters have struggled to score big here with the average first-innings score being 143. While the pacers can get assistance with the new ball, spinners can be effective in the middle overs. The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network (1:30 PM IST) and live-streamed on the Hotstar app.