Key events
“My god, it’s happening isn’t it?” writes Guy Hornsby. “No place I’d rather be than following on this place, amongst fatalists and friends. The thing is, we are evens here, but you worry about early wickets as our middle order really hasn’t fired. Now’s the time I guess! So much on the opening pairs and bowlers here. And my twin brother is sat at the G, just in 6 range at mid off. What a day, Rob.”
That’s probably England’s biggest concern, because you have to assume Pakistan’s new-ball bowlers will take a wicket or three. Jos Buttler and Alex Hales have scored 58 per cent of England’s runs in this tournament; the third highest runscorer is Ben Stokes with 58.
I can’t quite believe that we are half an hour away from a World Cup final. All the signs were that it would be rained off, or at the very least have a delayed start.
The teams
Pakistan Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi
England Buttler (c/wk), Hales, Salt, Stokes, Brook, Ali, Livingstone, Curran, Woakes, Jordan, Rashid.
England win the toss and bowl first
Jos Buttler says the weather is the main reason for fielding first. England are unchanged, though Buttler didn’t specify whether Mark Wood was available for selection or not. There might be echoes of Robin Smith in 1992 – he missed the semi-final through injury, was available for the final but missed out. Surely England wouldn’t leave Wood out though? It’d be like leaving Robin Smith out of a World Cup final!
Babar Azam says Pakistan would also have bowled. And they are also unchanged.
“Good morning Rob from a gloriously autumnal hillside in Piedmont,” says Finbar Anslow. “Agreed, the two teams have nothing in common, except that they’re both captained by ex Somerset players. Thanks for the commentary. Should be a brilliant match.”
It should, although we said the same about the series decider between these two last month. A Super Over wouldn’t be a surprise; nor would a thumping victory for either team.
The toss
Teams usually bowl first when there is rain around, so that they know exactly what they need to chase. But DLS targets are tougher than they used to be, never mind the pressure of batting last in a final. There must at least be a temptation to get runs on the board while conditions are good.
Meet the new captain, subtly different to the old captain
England will wear black armbands today in tribute to David English, who died yesterday at the age of 76. English was a cricket obsessive whose Bunbury schools festival gave many England greats their first significant exposure.
So sad to hear the news of David English passing away. One of life’s great characters, so fun to spend time with and producer of some of the best English cricketers through his wonderful Bunbury Festivals. RIP ❤️ pic.twitter.com/RK3SXUOfSr
— Jos Buttler (@josbuttler) November 12, 2022
Pakistan have a few dangermen, none greater than Shaheen Shah Afridi. He’s the best in the world, perhaps the best ever, at taking a wicket in the first over of a T20.
Team news
Simon Burnton, our man at the MCG, says that Mark Wood has marked out his run-up – but so has Chris Jordan, so who knows. It sounds like Dawid Malan hasn’t made it.
I’d imagine Pakistan will be unchanged; we haven’t heard anything to the contrary.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live, over-by-over coverage of the World T20 final between England and Pakistan in Melbourne. It’s the best batting line-up in the world against the best bowling attack – or, to put it another way, the irresistible force versus the irresistible force.
It is also – just imagine the reaction had you pitched this little beauty in March 2015 – England’s third World Cup final in six years, and a chance to cement their legacy as one of the greatest white-ball sides of all time. No men’s team has been ODI and T20 world champions at the time, not even the great West Indies side of the late 1970s.
There’s just one snag: they’re playing Pakistan. Pakistan, whose cornered tigers savaged England so euphorically in the 50-over final on this ground in 1992; Pakistan, who do unto logic as – get your contemporary references here – David Brent does unto faxes from head office; Pakistan, who lost their first two games and were 50/1 to win the World Cup eight days ago; Pakistan, whose every ICC tournament victory – 1992, 2009, 2017 – has involved them having the best view from the precipice throughout; Pakistan, who on their day leave even the strongest opposition wondering what the haal has hit them.
That’s the image we have of Pakistan – although, at the risk of being the pedant at the orgy, it’s a bit more nuanced than that. In their own merculiar (sic) way, they have been the most consistent T20 team of all since the first World Cup in 2007. Nobody has reached as many semi-finals; nobody has played in more finals.
The relationship between England and Pakistan has changed – there’s lot more respect, and nobody’s mother-in-law will be getting a mention tonight. The teams are also far closer in style and mood than they used to be. But they will never have everything in common.
Take the opening partnerships. Both are world-class, both have beaten India by 10 wickets at a World T20 in the past 13 months, yet they have different cat-skinning methodologies. It’s England’s cold-hearted bruisers, Jos Buttler and Alex Hales (average partnership 74, strike-rate 158), versus Pakistan’s careful caressers, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan (avge 50, with a much greater sample size; strike-rate 132). Babar and Rizwan’s century stand in the semi-final hammering of New Zealand was their eighth for the first wicket in T20Is. That’s twice as many as anyone else.
England’s openers go harder because the teams bats down to No11. Pakistan’s tail starts at No8, and they’ll display it with pride – because Nos 8-11 are in the team to take wickets, and they can all bowl in excess of 90mph. Buttler and Babar know – as captains and openers, for richer and poorer – that each bowling attack has enviable variety: legspinners, offspinners, right-armers, left-armers. Whoever the batter, there’s a match-up for that.
The whole thing is impossibly exciting. Or it would be if we hadn’t spent the last 72 hours looking at weather apps. A World Cup that has been defined by bad weather may yet be decided by it. When I went to bed last night I thought there was no chance to play today, and that I’d be home in time for Dawson’s Creek, but things are looking more promising now. The cold November rain is nowhere to be seen – Melbourne has been unexpectedly dry today, though the forecast is still for heavy showers both tonight and throughout the reserve day tomorrow.
We need at least 10 overs a side for the game to be completed. If they can’t manage that by tomorrow evening then England and Pakistan will be joint world champions, and supposedly responsible adults will start using that icky phrase about kissing your sister.
The match begins, weather permitting, at 8am in London, 1pm in Karachi and 7pm in Melbourne