Image: England face Pakistan / © X (Twitter)
There had been signs that anyone could win from the very beginning,z with even Australia unable to escape the group stage. However, neither England nor Pakistan was able to provide compelling reasons that either could get to the final two.
England’s opening match was a narrow four-run victory over Nepal; subsequent matches were losses to the West Indies and then narrow victories over Scotland and Italy (who previously defeated Nepal by 10 wickets). Pakistan’s first match was a near defeat to the Netherlands; they followed that with victories over the USA and Namibia, before losing by 61 runs to India.
England and New Zealand began the Super Eight with a first-inning wash-out, leaving England with only a thin chance of advancing to the knockout stage without a win in this game. While they could subtract 51 runs from their first Super Eight victory by beating Sri Lanka, they owe this victory to Sri Lanka’s lousy performance and to the fact that England were supposed to be defending a low total of 146 runs, which is significantly less than 200 runs, as Phil Salt was the only player on either team who scored a half-century.
While it was obvious after both Harry Brook and Jofra Archer said it after their game last Sunday, that even with the loss of their two best players, they are both still looking for their best game. The same is true for Pakistan, who have not yet produced its best game against first-class opponents. But both teams are struggling to achieve their best form.
Also, England depends on Will Jacks (three-time Player of the Match) to provide support with bat and ball. England has also won all four games this season at the site, and after winning the three-match bilateral series against Sri Lanka (before this game), they find themselves in as strong a position as possible to win this match. Pakistan will be leaving Colombo for the first time and will need to adjust to its new location quickly. This adjustment period may impact the outcome of the tournament.
Every outgoing inning puts more and more pressure on Jos Buttler and England, as they need him to start producing ahead of the knockout stage, with an increased level of pressure and stress being placed on him. So far, England has been able to protect Buttler but with his five innings of only 60 runs and 113.20 SR just does not come close to the standard expected from a player of his talent. Buttler has earned the right to take his time to get back into form with the support from his Captain Brook who after another loss to Sri Lanka has assured him that he will produce at the highest level due to being one of the best to play the game. Buttler was seen working with England’s reserves on Monday while the remainder of the XI had a much-needed day off. There can be no better time for Buttler to step up and produce with qualification for the knockout stage on line.
If Pakistan chooses to stick with the same team that faced New Zealand, and with Shaheen Afridi not expected to be available, Salman Mirza could be Pakistan’s only fast bowler. They have been watching with interest how England fared against Sri Lanka’s spinners in Pallekele, where Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana took five wickets apiece. However, they will rely heavily on their spinners. Although his economy is higher than average at 8.75 runs per wicket and 6.0 runs per game, he has performed well against the Netherlands, claiming 3 for 24, and therefore has a reasonable chance of impressing during this match, assuming the weather doesn’t interfere.