England's batting arsenal gearing up to take on Pakistan's bowling firepower

Overview

England and Pakistan followed pretty much the same trajectory on their way to the final. Both teams had little chance of securing a semi-final berth at one point, yet they went on a rampage towards the business end of the Super 12, and made it to the knockouts by finishing second in their respective groups. That wasn't the end to their similarities, though, as both sides registered comprehensive victories in the semi-finals to book their place in the final.

Although their paths leading to this finale have been pretty similar, it would be a mistake to think that they have followed and executed the same plans to chart their course. In fact, these are two teams with very different strengths and playing styles, and it's the contrast between them that will be exciting to watch in this highly anticipated final.

It's going to be a battle between England's batting line-up and Pakistan's bowling attack. Jos Buttler's men bat with a fearless approach, and why shouldn't they? They have players capable of wielding the willow right down to number 11.

Pakistan, on the other hand, depend on their dangerous bowling attack to dominate. They have bowlers capable of killing the game with the new ball, spinners capable of drying runs up in the middle overs and specialists capable of applying the choke in the death overs. In fact, their economy rate of 6.74 has been the best among all teams in this World Cup.

But the two teams have also responded really well in areas that were considered as their weaker suits. 

England's bowling attack, which wasn't rated as highly as other teams, has stepped up really well to support their never-ending batting arsenal. Sam Curran has been a revelation with the ball, whereas Mark Wood has also proved that he is a world-class pacer.

Adil Rashid hasn't dominated the wicket-taking columns but he has done just enough for England, operating at a mean economy rate of 6.25 in this tournament. Even their fifth and sixth bowling options have stepped up, with Ben Stokes claiming five wickets at 15.80 runs apiece and Liam Livingstone picking up three wickets while operating at 7.27 runs per over.

Pakistan's batting line-up, which was thought to be too dependent on Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, has also delivered in crunch situations, whenever their star batters have failed. All of Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan and Shan Masood have played crucial knocks at some point in the tournament, whenever their top-order hasn't been able to deliver. Even the 22-year-old Mohammad Haris has added a new dimension to Pakistan's batting line-up with his attacking approach.

Overall, everything has worked out quite well for the two sides after a difficult start. But their fate in this contest will depend on what they do with their strengths once again. Is England going to bat Pakistan out of the contest, just like they did against India in the semi-final? Will Pakistan's bowling firepower turn out to be too hot to handle for England's batting unit? Whichever way this goes, it's going to be a riveting contest to watch.

Predicted Playing XI

England

Jos Buttler (c & wk), Alex Hales, Philip Salt/Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan/Mark Wood, Adil Rashid

Pakistan

Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi

Key Players

Alex Hales: The England opener has been in terrific form since his comeback to the team. Hales played a magnificent knock of 86* from 47 deliveries in the semi-final against India and he is also England's highest run-scorer in this tournament, with over 200 runs to his name at an average of more than 50.

Shaheen Shah Afridi: The left-arm pacer is the joint highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in this World Cup. Afridi has claimed 10 wickets so far, at a sensational average of 14.20. He has an exceptional ability of picking up wickets with the new ball and will be looking to give Pakistan an advantage by getting rid of Hales and Buttler early in this contest.

Dream11 Fantasy Picks 

Captaincy Pick: Shadab Khan 

Shadab played a vital role for Pakistan in turning their fortunes in the Super 12 stage. The wrist-spinner has picked up 10 wickets in six matches so far, at 14.50 runs a piece, and has operated at an economy rate of 6.59 thus far in the tournament. He also notched up a 20-ball half-century against South Africa, which turned out to be a match-winning innings. As far as his record against England goes, Shadab has picked up 13 wickets in nine T20Is against England at 24.62 runs a piece.

Must-have Pick: Alex Hales 

Hales made his international comeback in the Pakistan tour, just a month before the T20 World Cup, and has been in superb form since then. He has scored 211 runs in this T20 World Cup so far and his runs have come at a strike rate of 148.59. He recently smashed an unbeaten 86 off 47 balls against India, hammering four fours and seven sixes. The English opener has played 74 T20Is and has scored 2073 runs at a strike rate of 138.47. 

Differential Pick: Mohammad Harris 

Haris has been a revelation for Pakistan in this T20 World Cup. He has played some outstanding cameos in the last three games and has scored a total of 89 runs at a strike rate of 161.81. Haris can accelerate at No.3 with his sheer power-hitting skills. He started the tournament with a 11-ball 28 against the Proteas followed by scoring 31 in 18 balls against Bangladesh. He played a sedate knock of 30 in 26 balls to almost take Pakistan to the finishing line against New Zealand in the semi-final in Sydney.