Root warns England of 'very dangerous' Pakistan ahead of T20 World Cup final

KARACHI: Former England Test skipper Joe Root has warned England of "very dangerous" Pakistan ahead of the two sides' T20 World Cup 2022 final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.

Pakistan, on Wednesday, beat New Zealand by seven wickets after a sensational batting and bowling performance at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Meanwhile, the Men in Blue were hammered by England after a destructive batting performance by Jos Buttler and Alex Hales. The batters showed positive intent and attacked from the very first delivery, amassing 80 and 86 runs, respectively.

Ahead of the final clash at the historic MCG, Root has said that the Men in Green have "match-winners and wonderful players" among their team and told his national side to be on top of their game to beat Pakistan. 

"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 a long 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 told Sky Sports.

Pakistan will square off with England in the grand finale of the T20 World Cup 2022 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, November 13.

Talking about the Poms' performance in the semi-final against India, the Test batter said England peaked at the right time.

"Incredible performance. They [England] peaked at the right time. I think you have seen the best of the team until now. What a performance from the two up the order [Jos Buttler and Alex Hales] and great work from the bowlers to restrict India to the target [169]. As a team performance, you can't really ask for any more in a semi-final to stand up to the pressures of it in a game of that magnitude and perform like that is exceptional," he added.

Earlier on Thursday, former English batter Kevin Pietersen heaped massive praise on England's performance and stated that the green shirts will be terrified.

"An exquisite semi-final performance against a fabulous Indian team! Pakistan will be petrified cos this England team is flying," the former batter said.

However, rain is expected to play spoilsport in the big final as the Australian Bureau of Meteorology shows 100 per cent chances of rain in Melbourne on Sunday.

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