England go into Sunday’s T20 World Cup final looking to continue a strong record against Pakistan in the format.
The Three Lions have 17 wins to nine in the two sides’ previous men’s Twenty20 meetings and here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at that record.
Overall record
The sides have met 28 times in all, with one tie – settled in England’s favour after a super over – and one no-result in addition to the 26 won outright.
England have never lost a bilateral T20 series to Pakistan, winning five – most recently in September and October in a seven-match World Cup warm-up – with a pair of 1-1 draws.
Of the four times they have met in a one-off match, the teams have two wins apiece, with one of England’s successes coming in the group stage on their way to winning the World Twenty20 in 2010.
England have scored 200-plus on four occasions, all since July 2021, in addition to two separate innings of 199 for five – for a five-wicket win in August 2020 and a spectacular 10-wicket loss this September.
Pakistan have achieved that feat just twice but can boast the highest total in games between the sides, 232 for six at Trent Bridge last year when openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan hit 85 and 63 respectively. England replied with 201 to lose by 31 runs despite Liam Livingstone’s England record 42-ball hundred.
Recent showdown
The final pits against each other two of the teams most familiar with each other from recent games.
The series they contested before travelling to Australia means they will be meeting for the eighth time since September 20, with those matches proving something of a rollercoaster as England ultimately came out on top 4-3.
There was never more than one game between the sides, England twice taking the lead only for Pakistan to level on each occasion and then lead 3-2 before Matthew Mott’s side won the final two matches.
While the series was close, the winning margins were typically not – at least in England’s wins, which came by six and eight wickets and 63 and 67 runs.
Pakistan also enjoyed the aforementioned 10-wicket success, albeit with only three balls to spare though the chase of 200 was comfortably handled throughout by Babar (110 not out) and Rizwan (88no). Their subsequent wins were closer, coming by three and then six runs in Karachi and Lahore.
Pakistan’s opening pair were the leading run scorers, Rizwan with 316 and Babar 285, while Haris Rauf led all wicket-takers with eight.
England, though, had greater consistency throughout the side with six of the other seven batters to reach three figures for the series – led by Harry Brook with 238 and Ben Duckett 233 – while Sam Curran and David Willey took seven wickets each and Mark Wood six. Reece Topley and Adil Rashid were alongside Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz on five.
