When England played Pakistan at the MCG in the 1992 World Cup final it was only the teams’ fourth encounter in nearly five years. When the same teams meet at the same venue on Sunday with the T20 World Cup on the line it will be their ninth game in a shade over seven weeks.
It may be true that cricketers, unlike footballers for much of that sport’s history, have always been familiar with the key players of other major nations at World Cups, but this is something else. As Alex Hales put it, “both teams know each other like the back of our hands”.
Last week Shan Masood spoke of spending time during England’s seven-game T20 series in Pakistan in September with his future Yorkshire teammates Harry Brook, Dawid Malan and Adil Rashid. “I think that’s the beauty of the game,” he says. “It connects people, it connects everyone.”
This stage is set for an unusually friendly final. “There’s a lot of camaraderie, and a lot of respect between the coaching staffs as well,” says Matthew Mott, the England coach. “We’re known to each other pretty well. It’s not going to take anything away from on the field – both teams are going to go out there determined to do their best and win that World Cup final – but definitely the two teams mix very well.”
In all of this somehow Shaheen Afridi manages to be both Pakistan’s best-known threat and their secret weapon. The 22-year-old sustained a knee ligament injury in July that ruled him out of England’s 4-3 series victory in his homeland in September – he spent much of that time receiving specialist care in London – and he bowled only two overs when the teams met for a warm-up game in Brisbane on the eve of the tournament. He has not exactly hidden from the English of late – six months ago he was playing in the County Championship for Middlesex – but only one player who will be involved on Sunday faced him during that spell, and that was his compatriot Mohammad Rizwan.
Even now it takes him two hours to warm up for each game. But Shaheen’s participation in the World Cup was never in doubt. “Shaheen is Pakistan’s best bowler and if he has to play on one leg, he can play on one leg,” Masood told the Guardian. “And if he had one leg, Pakistan would still prefer him over anyone because he is one of the best bowlers in the world.”
He felt his way back into action across the opening two games of the World Cup, where his eight overs brought no wickets and cost 7.9 runs apiece – Pakistan lost them both – but has gathered momentum along with his side, taking 10 wickets across the next four games, while leaking just 5.27 runs an over, and he approaches the final close to his irresistible best.
Encouragingly, he is not alone in that. Like in 2019, when they thrashed Australia at Edgbaston in the 50-over tournament, England go into a World Cup final with confidence freshly inflated. And this time, after the stunning mauling of India in Adelaide on Thursday, they were actually allowed to enjoy it.
As England celebrated in Birmingham in 2019 their Australian coach, Trevor Bayliss, produced the mood-killing interjection that “that’s why Australians think the English can’t win anything – you’re celebrating winning the semi, real winners win the final”. This year a different Australian coach allowed the players to revel in the occasion.
“I never try and rein it in after a win like that,” Mott said. “I think you’ve got to enjoy that. That’s why you play the game, and you can enjoy it in its own sort of compartment and then move on. I think we did that pretty well. It was a good dressing room to hang out in, there were some nice scenes, guys sitting around and talking and chatting and reflecting on the game that we’ve all been pursuing for a while. There was a realisation we’ve still got unfinished business. We haven’t just come here to make the final, we’ve come here to win it, and I got a clear feeling that everyone was motivated to do that last night.”
These are circumstances Mott knows particularly well. Across 20- and 50-over formats he has already won three World Cups and this could be his second of the year, joining the one he led Australia’s women to in April. “I think in many ways the final is one to be enjoyed,” he said. “Sometimes you get more nervous in semi-finals, trying to get there, and the final is almost an opportunity to go out, have fun and may the best team win. You have to let the players enjoy it. Sometimes if you build it up too much, that fear of failure comes in.”
One of the most impressive things about the semi-final result was the number of injured players who were not required to achieve it, such as Jonny Bairstow, Jofra Archer, Reece Topley and the two most recent dropouts, Dawid Malan and Mark Wood. Malan and Wood will be assessed before the final but neither looks likely to be fit.
“The moment I took over the squad, looking through the list I was pretty blown away by the talent that’s there,” Mott said. “Every time we lose a player we just find a different way to put the team together. There’s been no dwelling on players missing out – we feel sad for them, particularly when they’re in good form – but we know there’s players who can come in and do a very good job.”
The one thing that might dampen England’s spirits before the final is actual dampness. If the weather forecast is at all reliable it will be pouring in Melbourne on Sunday, and on Friday England were poring over the small print of the tournament regulations.
If the game cannot be concluded on Sunday – and in the knockout stages both innings must last at least 10 overs for a result to be achieved – play will resume on Monday at 5am GMT, the start of a maximum four hours of additional play with rain potentially still an issue. If the game has not been decided by then, the teams will be declared joint winners.
“It’s in the lap of the gods,” said Matthew Hayden, the former Australia batter, who has been Pakistan’s team mentor during the World Cup. “Who knows about the weather here in Melbourne? It’s the start of the season so it’s variable and we’re going to have to put up with it.”
There was no doubt that for the tournament’s organisers an India v Pakistan final was very much the dream; there is also no doubt about what would be the nightmare.
