Melbourne, Nov 12: Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes Jos Buttler’s side have it in them to avenge the defeat to Pakistan in the 1992 ODI World Cup final by winning the Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
About 30 years after Imran Khan-led Pakistan defeated England in the final of the 1992 ODI World Cup at the MCG, the two teams will face off against each other at the very same venue to clinch their second T20 World Cup title.
Though Hussain acknowledged that England are strong, he warned against underestimating Pakistan. “So Pakistan will be a big threat but, as I said after the semifinal, if England play as they did against India they can beat any side. They played the perfect game on Thursday and Pakistan will know they cannot be below par in any way.”
“This is a battle of the strongest attack in the tournament, in Pakistan, against the best batting line-up, in England. I fancy Jos Buttler and his side to avenge that 1992 50-over final defeat on this same ground. But once they get that cornered tigers mentality, you would be a fool to write off Pakistan,” wrote Hussain in his column for Daily Mail on Saturday.
Hussain was quick to point out that Pakistan’s opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan play in the old-fashioned way. “Pakistan are a little similar to India in that their opening batters in Babar and Mohammad Rizwan still play slightly old-fashioned white-ball cricket, even though they did tee off against New Zealand.”
“Babar and Rizwan have had a quiet tournament before the semifinal – the captain had scored only 39 runs in the World Cup before making a half-century against New Zealand – but they both showed their class when it most mattered,” he elaborated.
Hussain cautioned England about the unpredictability factor associated with Pakistan, who were on the verge of an early exit from the tournament after losses to India and Zimbabwe. “That sums Pakistan up and has been their story over the years. They are so talented and can put in world-class performances but they can also implode and crash out. It is remarkable they are in the final against England. Everyone is comparing their progress to Imran Khan’s cornered tigers of 1992 and there are definite similarities.” (IANS)
