England skipper Jos Buttler knows the Pakistan cricket team well, having played against them on multiple occasions recently. However, he is not giving that experience a lot of weightage when his team faces the unpredictable Men in Green in the T20 World Cup 2022 final on Sunday. Buttler also showered heaps of praise on the pace bowling attack of Pakistan.
Pakistan has a fearsome fast bowling quartet of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim and Naseem Shah. Comparing them with the legendary fast bowlers that Pakistan has produced - like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis - Buttler expressed surety that these bowlers will finish their careers as some of the best Pakistan bowlers, true to the country’s “long history of producing quality fast bowlers.”
"They are an excellent team and have a long history of producing quality fast bowlers, and the team we are up (on Sunday) against is no different," the England skipper was quoted as saying ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022 final on Sunday.
"I am sure some of the guys we will go up against will go down at the end of their careers as some of the best bowlers Pakistan have ever produced and that’s a huge part of why they have got to a World Cup final," he added at the press conference.
Pakistan’s bowling attack has been on the mark this world cup with star bowler Shaheen Afridi finally resurging to his best with 10 wickets at the tournament. The England side clearly rate the Pakistan pace attack highly and will be cautious against the threat.
England recently toured Pakistan after years but Buttler is not focussing too much on that experience. That’s because of the vastly different conditions in Australia compared to Pakistan.
"We have played against them a lot recently but that was in very different conditions,” Buttler said.
"Even though we have played each other in quite a few games, here in Melbourne is going to be a bit different to the series in Pakistan. We know we are up against an excellent team and that is what you expect in a World Cup final. We will focus on them a bit and on us a lot to ensure we turn up tomorrow and give the best account of ourselves," Buttler was quoted by ICC.
England and Pakistan face off in the T20 World Cup 2022 final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday, November 13, 2022. While England would be wary of Pakistan’s pace attack but will also be hoping that they can bring back speedster Mark Wood, a crucial link in their pace attack, after he missed the semi-final against India. Wood’s replacement Chris Jordan, however, played exceptionally well and picked up four wickets in a starring performance against India.
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