T20 World Cup final: England and Pakistan to meet as Jos Buttler allows himself to dream
- Published
Both Pakistan and England are aiming to win their second T20 world titles
ICC Men's T20 World Cup final: Pakistan v England |
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Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground Date: 13 November Time: 08:00 GMT |
Coverage: Ball-by-ball Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, Radio 4 LW, online, tablets, mobiles and BBC Sport app. Live text commentary and in-play video clips on the BBC Sport website and app. |
England captain Jos Buttler says he has been dreaming about lifting the Men's T20 World Cup trophy before Sunday's final against Pakistan in Melbourne.
The sides meet at 08:00 GMT on Sunday with England bidding to unite the global 50 and 20-over titles.
Eoin Morgan led England to their victory in 2019 before retiring in June, with this tournament Buttler's first global event since taking over.
"It really links back to what you were like as a kid," said Buttler.
"The kind of things you would be doing in the garden with your brother and sister, pretending to lift a trophy.
"I've certainly had a few dreams about that kind of thing.
"Now to be able to have the opportunity to have a chance to live that out is incredibly special."
What to expect in Sunday's final
Buttler & Hales lead England to World Cup final
The final pits the tournament's best bowling attack - Pakistan's left-armer Shaheen Afridi, fast bowler Haris Rauf and leg-spinner Shadab Khan are among the best in the world - against England's fearsome batting line-up at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The fixture is sold out, a crowd of over 90,000 expected, with Pakistan set to be heavily supported.
Buttler's side reached the final with a superb 10-wicket victory over India on Thursday, their best performance in a campaign that was struggling after a shock defeat by Ireland in the group stage.
Pakistan had a very rocky start, losing their first two games before winning four in succession to secure a place in the final.
The two sides finished a closely-fought seven-match series in Pakistan just five weeks ago, with England winning 4-3.
Buttler played down the importance of that victory, given the final will be played in completely different conditions in Australia.
He also said fast bowler Mark Wood and batter Dawid Malan, who both missed the semi-final with injury, are "improving" and did not rule them out of selection.
Wood cast doubt on his participation on Friday, but, after the pair went through fitness tests, he bowled at good pace in the nets on Saturday.
Pakistan hoping for repeat of 1992
Babar & Rizwan lead Pakistan to World Cup final
The final is also a repeat of the famous 1992 50-over World Cup final on the same ground, which Pakistan won by 22 runs.
In that tournament Pakistan only won one of their first five games before mounting a remarkable turnaround, urged by their captain Imran Khan's instruction to "fight like cornered tigers".
Coincidentally, Pakistan met New Zealand in the semi-final 30 years ago, the same opponent they swept aside on Wednesday in the last four.
Former batter Ramiz Raja, who was one of the 1992 playing squad and is now chair of the Pakistan Cricket Board, spoke to the players about the win.
"He was just reliving some of those stories around the '92 World Cup," said former Australia opener Matthew Hayden, who is part of the Pakistan coaching staff.
"These boys, inevitably their careers will be but a blink and they'll be looking back on this tournament regardless of the result, saying we were in a final and hopefully a winning final.
"And they'll tell these stories around campfires in their villages, in media conferences and it will be an important chapter of Pakistan cricket - as the '92 campaign was."
The 1992 World Cup final featured many of the biggest names in cricket, including Imran Khan, Ian Botham, Graham Gooch, Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram
Will rain ruin the final?
The build-up to the final has been overshadowed by talk of the weather, with rain forecast for Sunday and the reserve day on Monday.
Sunday's forecast has improved over recent days but there are still likely to be interruptions.
Every effort will be made to complete the match on Sunday, even if that requires playing a shortened match.
The minimum length contest is 10 overs per side.
If that is not possible then the match will be finished on Monday, continuing from the point reached rather than being restarted.
Organisers have also added more time to the scheduled hours in a bid to complete the match.
But if the match cannot be finished then Pakistan and England will share the trophy.
BBC forecaster Tomasz Schafernaker looks at the forecast for Melbourne this weekend
How to follow on the BBC
A deal has been struck for the final to be shown free-to-air in the UK on Channel 4 while it will also be covered extensively across the BBC.
There will be ball-by-ball commentary of the final on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.
The website and app will also run live text commentary, with in-play video clips available to UK users.
There will also be a Test Match Special podcast after the final.