Tactics board: Babar vs Rashid, Moeen vs Shadab and a host of unknowns

In that time, seamers have a strike rate of 18.9 while spinners have a 7. 43 economy rate. In the three World Cup games there, spinners have been more expensive than seamers and have a worse strike rate.

The key for bowling teams was to get batters hitting square of the wicket and into the wide expanse of the field, according to David Hussey, who plays for the Melbourne Stars. He said that the boundary sizes are your friend dead straight, whereas the square side of the field is large.

The teams are hitting to the big square boundaries to eliminate the boundary options because Bowlers use a lot of change-ups and a lot of slower balls into the pitch. You need to hit the gaps and run very hard when you're a batter. Use the shorter boundaries to your advantage when you get that full ball.

There are familiar faces.

England and Pakistan will equal a record on Sunday for the most men's T20Is played between two teams and the final will be the eighth official T20. In October, they played a warm-up match against one another, while England's players play in the Pakistan Super League. The teams are unlikely to be surprised by the opposition.

There are a few things to keep in mind. This will be the first time the teams have met on Australian soil and the World Cup has reminded us of the importance of pitches and conditions. Naseem Shah and Mohammad Haris are two of the few players who have played in Pakistan- England matches.

Key players on both sides missed the recent series in Pakistan through injury and as a result, certain head-to-head match-ups have never been done before.

Pakistan should bowl up front.

The powerplay in the World Cup has seen 15 teams bowl at least one over of spin. There is only one exception. Pakistan split the first six overs between Naseem, Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Jnr.

There is a chance for that to change on Sunday if the new ball doesn't swing for Afridi, who will bowl the first over. Alex Hales was kept quiet by the fact that Mohammad Nawaz conceded 19 runs off the 19 balls he threw to him and dismissed him once. Buttler has never met him.

There is a chance that Shadab Khan could get into the game early, as he has conceded 21 runs off the 21 balls he hasbowled to Buttler. Buttler and Hales have scored at a combined strike rate of 125.49 against spin in the powerplay, compared to 154.08 against seam.

The majority of England's runs have been scored by their opening pair of Hales and Buttler. While England have a long batting line-up, Pakistan will want to expose players who haven't had much time in the middle in Australia.

Is it possible for England to target weak links.

Pakistan's bowling has been excellent since they changed the balance of their side after their loss to India. They brought in Wasim Jnr after failing to defend 159 and since then have conceded totals of 130 for 8, 91 for 9,108 for 9 and 152 for 4. Since the start of the Super 12s, they have taken more pins than any other team.

Naseem and Wasim Jnr, both of whom have only played 40 T20Is between them, are England's best chance of disrupting Pakistan.

Their openers have been particularly good at picking the bowlers they perceive to be weak links in opposition attacks and targeting them.

Pakistan should use someone in the middle order.

Over the last three months, Pakistan has been able to target opposition spinners with the help of the middle-order floaters. It didn't work in the World Cup, with Nawaz making 4 off 11 and Shadab only scoring a single century.

They might be flexible in the final. Haris has been a revelation since his selection but has scored 12 runs off 16 balls of spin in his T20I career for twice out and all of his boundaries have been against fast bowlers. There is a chance that he could be moved down the order if Babar and Mohammad Rizwan bat through the powerplay.

In Pakistan, he did well against both of the players, scoring at a 150+ strike rate against both of them. If Pakistan get off to a good start, you can be sure that Masood will move up to No. 3 with Iftikhar.

The match-ups that matter are the ones that matter.

Babar Azam is playing Adil Rashid.

Babar has scored 77 runs off 61 balls with a steady strike rate of 126.22. Two of his three dismissals against him have been off wrong "uns", one in Manchester last year and the other in Pakistan in September. Babar has been cautious against legspin this year, scoring at a strike rate of 113.69 against legspinners in T20.