‘Don’t make the mistake we made in 1992 World Cup final’ says former England all-rounder

Pakistan vs England T20 World Cup final builds up as a rematch of 1992’s 50-over World Cup final that saw the Asian side triumph over the makers of the game at Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is also the venue for Sunday’s final. Remembering the painful memories of the defeat, former English all-rounder Chris Lewis urged Jos Buttler-led side to show up in the mega final unlike them 30 years ago.

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“At some point in that tournament, each of our players came to the fore and we had a great run. Every country played everyone else in the group stage and we were the best team,” Lewis told Daily Mail.

“So to get to the final and not show up was the disappointment. It’s the one thing I would be telling this England team to guard against. When you get to a final, a lot of the hard work has been done, but it’s the last part that everyone has come for — the opportunity to be champions. You’ve got to get over the line.”

England head into the game high on confidence as they thrashed India by 10 wickets in the semifinals with Jos Buttler and Alex Hales dominating the experienced bowling line-up in Adelaide. However, Lewis feels presence of a left-arm pacer among Pakistan’s bowling ranks in Shaheen Afridi will be a crucial point in the marquee clash.

“Bowling left-arm is a wonderful weapon to have, when you do it at close to 90mph (145kmph approx.) and go full. If it swings, it means you are bringing lbw, bowled, everything into the equation in the powerplay, and against Pakistan that is a critical time of the game,” said Lewis, who played 32 Tests and 58 ODIs for England between 1990 and 1998.

“What we saw against India in the semi-final was a lack of swing, which allowed our two guys at the top to charge away. So that makes the start of England’s innings a very interesting battle. If they can get over Afridi’s initial burst, it will set them up for the kind of score they’ll need to win.”

Lewis, however, added that England have serious pace in Mark Wood too and that will be a scare for Pakistan’s openers, irrespective of their forms.

“That bit of extra pace — no, a lot of extra pace — is always useful, especially against the Pakistan openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. They have had their struggles at this World Cup but seem to have found their feet now and it’s important when England are bowling that they don’t settle.

“It is perhaps easier to knock the other England bowlers around because they do not possess the same threat as Wood, someone who’s been bowling at 95mph plus. If you look to take him on, it’s a real risk,” he said.

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