Fast bowlers give Pakistan the edge in T20 World Cup final against England

The onus will be on Shaheen Shah Afridi who has taken nine wickets in his last three matches

Rituraj Borkakoty

Published: Fri 11 Nov 2022, 7:15 AM

Pakistani players were probably glued to the television screens in their hotel rooms when England sent shivers down the spine of every Indian fan with a breathtaking performance.

Jos Buttler's England dismantled India with clinical precision, whether stifling the Indian batters with disciplined bowling or brutally putting the Indian bowling attack to the sword.

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It's difficult to imagine what was going through Babar Azam's mind when Alex Hales and Buttler turned a tricky chase into a cakewalk.

But the Pakistan skipper is blessed with a remarkable temperament. And like many past Pakistan captains before him, he has also been blessed with a group of gifted fast bowlers.

While Hales and Buttler decimated the Indian bowlers like gladiators, the English batsmen are unlikely to enjoy the same freedom to swing their bats against the potent Pakistani attack at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.

The likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim are unlikely to err on a juicy pitch where they will get good value for their swing and pace.

Pakistan's fans are brimming with excitement as Shaheen, the 22-year-old left-arm pacer, is beginning to show his best form after a stuttering start to his T20 World Cup campaign Down Under.

With nine wickets from his last three matches, Shaheen is now breathing fire.

It's quite incredible how someone so young could lead a bowling attack with such skills and composure at the highest level.

The onus will be on Shaheen. With searing pace and swinging yorkers, he can help Pakistan fight fire with fire against the ultra-aggressive English batsmen.

In a battle between the two evenly-matched teams, it's the Pakistan pace attack that can separate the victor from the vanquished.

Now as Shaheen runs in on Sunday, a nation of 220 million people will hold its collective breath.

It's been 30 years since Wasim Akram's magical spell in the 1992 World Cup final against England at the MCG earned Pakistan their most famous triumph in cricket.

Like countless Pakistani left-arm pacers, Shaheen also grew up idolising Wasim.

But it's now only him that has a chance to do what Wasim famously did against the same opponent on the same ground 30 years ago.

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