Colombo, Feb 24: On a surface expected to assist slow bowlers, both England and Pakistan will lean heavily on their spin resources in their Super Eights clash in the T20 World Cup here on Tuesday.
England may not have hit top gear yet, but 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 took them to the top of the standings.
Defending a modest total against Sri Lanka, England played according to the conditions perfectly. Their spinners did the bulk of the work along with pacer Jofra Archer to trigger a dramatic Sri Lankan batting collapse.
The ever-reliable leg spinner Adil Rashid and left arm spinner Liam Dawson have combined well to get the wickets.
Meanwhile, Will Jacks has emerged as an unlikely match-winner. His off-spin has been handy, but it is his contributions with the bat, 39 against Nepal, 16 against Scotland and 53 versus Italy, that have repeatedly bailed England out of trouble.
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 got the backing of his captain Harry Brook, who himself is yet to find runs.
England also hold 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 Eight game against Sri Lanka.
“We still haven’t had that perfect game with the bat. We haven’t managed 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 as something coming very soon and with the likes of Jos Buttler not coming off and Jacob Bethell, myself, Tom Banton not getting big scores and we still managed to get over the line and get the job done is awesome. Hopefully rewards can come a little bit later down the line for the lads with the bat.”
Pakistan, in contrast, 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 bank on their varied spin arsenal on a track that traditionally slows as the match progresses.
Alongside the mystery spin of Usman Tariq, Pakistan boast of 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.