Pakistan have opted to bat first in Pallekele, captain Salman Agha pointing to “a good pitch” and the desire to post “an above-par score and defend that total”. The call brings Shaheen Shah Afridi back into the side for this Super Eight meeting with England, Faheem Ashraf making way.
Key facts, first:
• Pakistan bring in Afridi, left-arm quick, after leaving him out for two matches.
• England stay unchanged for a fifth straight World Cup outing.
• A win sends England into the semi-finals; Pakistan, after that wash-out v New Zealand, simply need to keep pace.
Why Afridi now? His nine overs so far have cost 101 runs, yet the management clearly feel England’s top order still blinks occasionally against left-arm pace angling in. Faheem’s late-order 29* against the Netherlands saved that game, true, but he has hardly bowled since and ends up the fall-guy.
Agha again: “It looks like a good pitch. We want to put up an above-par score and defend that total.” Short, straight, no disguises.
England captain Harry Brook – yes, still batting five – admitted he would also have batted first. “That would be lovely, wouldn’t it? But you never know in T20 cricket, it’s such a fickle game,” he said, half-smiling. On the surface, the hope is for more runs than in Monday’s low-scorer v Sri Lanka. “Hopefully, it’s going to be a little bit better. We haven’t had our perfect game yet. Hopefully, it’s just around the corner.”
Brook resisted calls to shuffle the order. England therefore line up exactly as they did at the MCG final in 2022 – nine survivors across the two camps – with Phil Salt and Jos Buttler again trusted to set the tone. Consistency, or stubbornness? Judge later.
Teams in full
England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (capt), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (capt), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq.
Analysis, briefly
England’s route is simple: win tonight or face unwanted jeopardy against New Zealand on Friday. Pakistan’s equation is less tidy; net run-rate sits in the background, so batting first carries risk but also control. Expect early spin – Liam Dawson v left-handers makes tactical sense – yet Afridi with a new ball under lights is the image that lingers.
Nothing flashy here, only a repeat of a World Cup final, two years on, with both sides mostly intact and knowing exactly what the other likes (and dislikes). Should be tight, unless someone blinks early.
