In the repeat of the 50-over World Cup 1992, England will lock horns with Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2022 final on November 13 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. The match is scheduled to commence at 1:30 PM IST.
The two teams’ journey so far has been a mixed bag of results as they were fortunate enough to qualify from their respective groups with the help of favourable results elsewhere.
To begin with, Pakistan cricket team lost their nail-biting opening fixture of the marquee event to India by four wickets. The loss followed with another unexpected outcome, this time a narrow one-run defeat against Zimbabwe. With two losses in as many games, they found themselves on the verge of an early exit.
Thereafter, they upped their game to win the remaining three group stage matches against Netherlands, South Africa and Bangladesh. However, their qualification to the semis was aided by Netherlands’ shock win over South Africa, which eliminated the Proteas, assisting the Men in Green to finish second behind rivals India.
Talking about the semi-final against New Zealand, it was a one-sided encounter as Mohammad Rizwan and skipper Babar Azam hit form at the right time, scoring fifties to capitalise on some mediocre batting by the Kiwis to seal the final berth.
The England cricket team too had a similar route to the finals. They emerged from the ‘group of death’ by winning three of their five games.
Nonetheless, their hopes hung by a thread following the abandonment of the fixture against hosts Australia, which was on the back of an unfortunate loss against Ireland in their second group game.
A 20-run win against the Kiwis in the next match gave them a sigh of relief. In the final group game, England defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets to confirm their semi-final spot on the basis of superior net run rate as compared to the Aussies.
The English team faced a formidable Team India in the semis, who had the most number of wins (four out of five) in the league phase amongst all Super 12 sides.
Nonetheless, the Englishmen made light work of their opponents, registering a statement 10-wicket win to ensure they are high on confidence ahead of the crucial final.
England vs Pakistan head-to-head
Overall, the Jos Buttler-led side has an upper hand as far as England vs Pakistan head-to-head record in T20Is is concerned.
In 28 matches, England have won on 18 occasions whereas Pakistan have come out on top nine times.
The two sides have faced each other twice in the T20 World Cup since the inception of the competition, in the group stage of the 2009 and 2010 editions. The England cricket team emerged victorious on both occasions.
Interestingly, 2009 and 2010 were title-winning campaigns for both teams. While Younis Khan-led Pakistan won in 2009, Paul Collingwood captained England to their maiden title the following year.
The last T20I bilateral series between them took place recently in September-October earlier this year, where England won 4-3.
Where to watch England vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2022 final match live in India?
The England vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2022 final will be telecast live on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD TV channels in India.
Live streaming of England vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2022 final will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website.
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Featured photo: PATRICK HAMILTON / AFP
