England captain Jos Buttler opted to bowl first with the possibility of Melbourne rain, as both teams named unchanged lineups for the T20 World Cup final
England bowl, both teams unchanged for MCG final
England's tilt at becoming the first men's team to hold both white-ball world titles has been made harder with star fast bowler Mark Wood not passed fit for the T20 World Cup final against Pakistan.
England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to bowl first at the MCG, citing the inclement weather forecast as a key factor in his decision to chase.
There may be rain on the way but Melbourne otherwise has enjoyed a dry day in the lead-in to the evening decider in front of a packed MCG crowd, mostly decked out in Pakistani green.
Wood trained strongly on Saturday but his side have opted not to risk the mercurial speedster – the fastest bowler in the tournament – with death-bowling specialist Chris Jordan holding his spot instead.
Image Id: AB26740C85DC445C86B9AB61E4644BA1 Image Caption: Wood chats with England assistant Paul Collingwood prior to the toss // GettyDawid Malan has also not returned after suffering a groin injury at the back end of the Super 12s, with Phil Salt included despite having not yet batted in this campaign.
Salt, the former Adelaide Strikers batter, was not required in his first game on Thursday as England surged to a stunning 10-wicket semi-final win over India.
Pakistan are also unchanged from their semi-final triumph over New Zealand, setting up a rematch of the 1992 ODI World Cup final at the same venue.
Image Id: 0DEA1D04A8944AE6ABB82CE2F173B818 Image Caption: Pakistan fans gear up for the huge clash // GettyHow each team adapts to likely rain interruptions shapes as a crucial dynamic in this fixture that sees both sides gunning for their second men's T20 titles, while England are aiming to add the T20 crown to the ODI title they claimed in 2019.
Up to 25 millimetres of rain had originally been predicted on Sunday in Melbourne, a city that has been battered by rain in recent weeks with many parts of Victoria flooding, but that forecast had so far failed to materialise.
Image Id: 2C475CAEAF6D437F85F5BCEB68EC9B52 Image Caption: Semi-final hero Alex Hales warms up at the MCG // GettyAn extra 90 minutes of time has been allowed for the final while the match can continue into Monday's reserve day if required.
Men's T20 World Cup 2022
Semi-final 1: Pakistan beat New Zealand by seven wickets
Semi-final 2: England beat India by 10 wickets
Final: Sunday November 13, MCG, 7pm AEDT
Click here for all 2022 T20 World Cup results