Guwahati: England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and decided to bowl against Pakistan in the crucial final of the 2018 T20 World Cup at the venerable Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
England and Pakistan essentially followed the same route to the final. Both teams had minimal odds of making it to the semifinals as the Super 12 drew to a close, but they went on a tear and advanced to the elimination rounds by finishing second in their respective groups.
However, their similarities didn’t stop there as both teams easily won their semifinal games to get to the title contest.
The batting order for England and the bowling attack for Pakistan will square off. In contrast to Pakistan, who depend on their dangerous bowling attack to win, Jos Buttler’s team bats boldly. They are equipped with bowlers who can win the game using the new ball, spinners who can restrict scoring in the middle overs, and specialists who can apply a stranglehold in the final few overs.
“I’m initially going to bowl. Both clubs enter this final in excellent shape. anticipating the struggle. We decided to bowl because there was a little bit of weather in the area. Today is a brand-new day. Similar team, “Jos Buttler declared after winning the toss.
“Would’ve also opted to bowl. We have good momentum with us and will try to continue with it. Same team,” said Babar Azam during the toss.
England (Playing XI): Jos Buttler(w/c), Alex Hales, Philip Salt, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid
Pakistan (Playing XI): Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Afridi.