The last time these two sides met in a World Cup knockout, Wasim Akram made a delightful late impact to knock over the English challenge in the 1992 ODI World Cup final.
While Melbourne was still dry on Saturday, it was weird to see the English team in the nets at the MCG. They had a fine work out against India in Adelaide, almost reduced to a glorified net session before the end, and yet they felt the need to get back in the nick to face Pakistan in the final on Sunday, or Monday.
“If there is a final…” is the first thought comes to mind, though. There is a deluge expected in the Victorian capital from late Saturday evening, just about 24 hours before the toss. And it is not expected to stop until, well; until, the very touches of this 2022 T20 World Cup are gone from Australia. Sunday, and Monday, both look bad in terms of weather prediction.
Of course, the ICC – in its mighty wisdom – has taken steps so that the trophy isn’t eventually shared, and this includes a reserve day, as well as increasing the time of play on the reserve day. Unlike Sunday, when only four hours of game time will be available, Monday will have as many as seven hours of game time available. Considering that we need only 20 overs to finish the game, across 48 hours, we should get a winner and a second-time T20 World Cup champion.
The last time England lifted this trophy was back in 2010, and things were a lot different then. Looking out for success in white-ball cricket, English cricket was just about trying to break free. It had certain pathways and patterns identified, and victory in the Caribbean reaffirmed its faith. Then, there was the 2015 ODI World Cup exit, and they needed to hit reset. What a reset it has been since then!
Thanks to Eoin Morgan, England’s white-ball cricket now identifies as a unique brand in itself. Hammering India in the semi-final the way they did is their signature style now, and in a manner, underlines the journey this team has been through. In between, it reached two T20 World Cup semis, and won the 2019 ODI World Cup at home. From Morgan to Jos Buttler now, this is just a continuation of the same process.
In every sense of the word, Buttler is the symbol of this white-ball English aggression. Every time he goes out to bat, you expect volatility. You expect the bowling to be decimated, and he has regaled crowds everywhere, keeping up with that expectation. As England’s captain, he has only tried to build on the blueprint he first helped lay down under Morgan. It is a process that was never disjointed. If anything, it has only grown in impact.
Take Alex Hales, for example. Morgan brushed him aside in 2019 owing to recreational drug abuse, and he had since struggled to get close to the international stage. Elsewhere though, Hales used that time to grasp as much T20 experience as possible and played in every possible franchise league across the world. If Buttler is the impact standpoint of English batting, Hales is only a further offshoot of it. Together they stand tall, like twin towers of English cricket’s white-ball domination.
It is their strength, and arguably their one weakness in this World Cup. Buttler-Hales have done a bulk of the scoring in England’s last three games against India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Prior to that, there was one game against Ireland, at the MCG itself, where Buttler-Hales failed to get going and they lost. It puts spotlight on the likes of Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali and Sam Curran.
Buttler-Hales have done bulk of the batting work for England in this tournament, yet its middle order hasn’t come to the party yet. Even against India, whilst scoring that dominant win, their other batsmen weren’t tested. It isn’t to say England could have lost, no, such was its domination in Adelaide. But it presents a quandary to the English management, when faced with arguably the best pace attack in the tournament.
When we consider the word ‘impact’, players like Shaheen Afridi and Ben Stokes can never be far behind. Stokes has a habit of making his presence felt when it comes to World Cup finals, and it has been an individualistic journey for him, traversing from the disappointment of 2016 to the dramatic high of 2019. If possible, he is playing a more prominent role with the ball in this World Cup, and not it is for him to get into it with the bat as well.
Trust Afridi to help him out herein, for he has been the difference maker for Pakistan since their turn of form. Whether against South Africa or Bangladesh, and then against New Zealand, he has done the damage in the powerplay. It is the kind of battle that holds centre stage for this final – whoever wins out of Buttler-Hales versus Afridi will go on to have a larger say on the swing of this game.
And this is where Pakistan could have a late advantage. Mohammad Haris entered the equation a tad late, but he has made a sudden impact for his side. Prior to Haris playing, the Pakistan management went for a fluid middle order approach, changing and chopping at will. It didn’t work as results showed in the first half of the tournament. Thereafter, he helped set the tempo at number three.
Sample this. Knocks of 28, 31 and 30 against South Africa, Bangladesh and New Zealand, at a strike-rate of 161.81. Haris has scored 89 runs off 55 balls in three innings, and Pakistan has won all those three games, making a run to the final. In numerical terms, you would want more from a number three batsman. But from the context of this format, and where Pakistan were before his arrival, it is exactly what you need.
In comparison, England has struggled to find a role for Stokes or the injured Dawid Malan, alternating between the two. If Malan is ruled out, Phil Salt could be expected to take up the number three spot. Could it really come down to this small detail?
Well, if you go by history, then perhaps yes. The last time these two sides met in a World Cup knockout, Wasim Akram made a delightful late impact to knock over the English challenge in the 1992 ODI World Cup final. Once again, the stage is set at the MCG, for a clash between two sides replete with impact players in their individual capacity.
The one who wins the most match-ups will hold aloft the trophy on Sunday (or Monday) night.
