Root warns England ahead of final, calls Pakistan a 'very dangerous team'

With the T20 World Cup 2022 finally coming to an end, Pakistan face England in the highly-anticipated final, scheduled for Sunday at the MCG in Melbourne. From almost getting knocked out in the Super 12 Stage, Pakistan have surprised everyone in Australia and will be eyeing the big prize. The Babar Azam-led defeated New Zealand in the semi-final by seven wickets and former England Test captain Joe Root feels they are a 'very dangerous team'.

Pakistan had to rely on lady luck after losing their opening two matches against India and Zimbabwe. A defeat for South Africa at the hands of Netherlands, drove them to the semi-finals after their win against Bangladesh.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Root said, "They have got some brilliant match-winners within their team; some brilliant bowling outfit, and some very talented batters."

"Lot spoken about the two lads at the top (Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan), and how consistent they have been in this format for an extended period."

"There are some wonderful players in there, so you know they are a very dangerous team, and you gotta make sure that you are right on top of your game when it comes to the big final", he further added.

Babar's performance in the semi-final was in stark contrast to his poor displays in the Super 12 Stage. During the Super 12s, Babar could only muster 39 runs off 63 balls, with a strike rate of 61.90. Meanwhile, in the semis, he clobbered 53 runs off 42 balls with a strike rate of 126.19, and packed with seven fours.

Chasing a target of 153 runs, Pakistan reached 153 for three in 19.2 overs, courtesy of some fine batting from openers Rizwan and Babar. Rizwan hammered 57 runs off 43 balls, including five fours. Initially, New Zealand posted 152 for four in 20 overs, with Daryl Mitchell smacking an unbeaten knock of 53 runs off 35 balls. Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz were in good bowling form, bagging two and one wickets each respectively.

In the other semi-final, England defeated India by 10 wickets. Chasing a target of 169 runs, England raced to 170 for no loss in 16 overs. Alex Hales slammed an unbeaten knock of 86 runs off 47 balls and Jos Buttler was also unbeaten with a knock of 80 runs off 49 balls. Initially, a knock of 63 runs off 33 balls by Hardik Pandya helped India post 168 for six in 20 overs. Chris Jordan was in good form and bagged a three-wicket haul for England.