T20 World Cup 2022: "We had a series with them and it was competitive cricket" - Babar Azam wary of England ahead of final
Pakistan captain Babar Azam is wary of England's dynamic line-up ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022 final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, November 13.
Azam heaped praise on Jos Buttler and Alex Hales for their stellar showing against India in the semi-final, but backed his bowling attack to do well in the decider.
England reached the T20 World Cup final after a dominant 10-wicket victory over India. Buttler and Hales ran India ragged as the pair put on an unbroken 170-run stand to chase down 169 in only 16 overs. Hales earned the Player of the Match award for his unbeaten 86 off 47 balls.
In a pre-match press conference, Babar Azam recalled the recent T20 series on home soil with England and how competitive it had been. However, he reflected on Pakistan's remarkable comeback in the ongoing tournament and backed them to produce something special in the semi-final. Azam said:
"England is one of the best teams. We had a series with them and it was competitive cricket. Jos and Alex Hales played outstandingly in the semi-final but we will try to give our best in the final.
"We have one of the best pace attacks and we will try to stick to our strength and execute our plans.
"We lost the first two matches but the way the team made a comeback in the last four matches and performed very well. We have been playing good cricket in the last four matches. We will try to continue that momentum in the final."
Pakistan enjoyed a stroke of luck as the Netherlands' win over South Africa helped them march into the semi-finals. The Men in Green were clinical across departments in their seven-wicket win over New Zealand in the semi-finals in Sydney.
They notably lost the seven-match T20 series against England in September this year in the final game.
"You have to utilise the powerplay, be it in bowling or in batting" - Babar Azam
Babar Azam also underlined the importance of the powerplay in both innings, stating that it has played a critical role in this tournament. He said:
"You have to utilise the powerplay, be it in bowling or in batting. In bowling, you try to execute your plans and try to take wickets early on and put the other team under pressure. And when you are batting, you try to set the tone so that it becomes easy for the incoming batters.
"Here, powerplay matters a lot. We have the momentum and we will try to execute our plans in the final."
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Should Babar Azam lead the team to the title, he will become the second Pakistan captain after Younis Khan in 2009 to achieve the feat.