Pallekele, February 23 Given the pitch expected to favor slow bowlers, both England and Pakistan will heavily rely on their spin resources in their Super Eights clash in the T20 World Cup here on Tuesday.
While England may not have reached its full potential yet, the two-time champions have found ways to win.
They kicked off their Super Eights campaign with a commanding 51-run victory over Sri Lanka, a result that significantly boosted their net run rate and propelled them to the top of the standings.
Defending a modest total against Sri Lanka, England played to the conditions perfectly. Their spinners, along with pacer Jofra Archer, triggered a dramatic collapse in Sri Lanka's batting.
The reliable leg-spinner Adil Rashid and left-arm spinner Liam Dawson have combined well to take wickets.
Meanwhile, Will Jacks has emerged as an unlikely match-winner. His off-spin has been effective, but it's his contributions with the bat – 39 against Nepal, 16 against Scotland, and 53 against Italy – that have repeatedly rescued England from difficult situations.
Opener Phil Salt returned to form with a match-winning knock against Sri Lanka, as he batted beyond the powerplay for the first time in the tournament.
However, Jos Buttler's form remains a concern. But the veteran batter has the support of his captain, Harry Brook, who himself is yet to find runs.
England also have the advantage of familiarity with the venue, having swept a three-match T20I series here 3-0 earlier this month, and also winning the Super Eights game against Sri Lanka.
"We still haven't had that perfect batting performance. We haven't been able to get the starts and the big scores that we'd like," Brook said after the win against Sri Lanka.
"In my eyes, I see that coming very soon, and with the likes of Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell not coming off, and myself, Tom Banton not getting big scores, but we still managed to get over the line and win, which is awesome. Hopefully, the rewards will come a little later for the batsmen."
In contrast, Pakistan were left frustrated after their Super Eights opener against New Zealand was washed out, leaving them with just one point and little room for error.
The Men in Green will rely on their varied spin arsenal on a track that traditionally slows as the match progresses.
Alongside the mystery spin of Usman Tariq, Pakistan have depth in Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, and Mohammad Nawaz, a collective that could prove crucial in stifling England's batting line-up.
However, Pakistan's own batting inconsistency remains a concern, especially against quality spin.
While opener Sahibzada Farhan, who is the leading run scorer of the tournament with 220 runs from four innings, has done well, the likes of Saim Ayub and captain Salman Agha, who is capable of both anchoring and accelerating, are yet to fire.
The Teams (from):
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England: Harry Brook (c), Tom Banton, Jos Buttler, Ben Duckett, Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue, Luke Wood.
Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.
Match starts at 7 pm IST.
