Match facts
Sunday, May 16, Barbados
Start time 1130 (1530 GMT)

Kevin Pietersen has been a revelation in the Caribbean and is chasing payback against Australia © Getty Images
Related Links
Analysis : Big-match record gives Australia upper hand
News : Both teams set for a showpiece final
News : How T20s became a serious business for Australia
News : Pace attacks gear up for battle
Players/Officials: Michael Clarke | Kevin Pietersen
Matches: Australia v England at Bridgetown
Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20
Teams: Australia | England
The Big Picture

Regardless of whether England emerge triumphant against Australia, the form team of the tournament, they have turned a corner in terms of public perception. In many ways, the tale of their shortcomings in ICC global events is less a matter of their failure to take home any trophies, but their failure to give themselves a chance to compete. On two occasions in the modern era of one-day cricket, they’ve found a formula that came close to ending the drought – namely, at the 1992 World Cup, when their greatest player, the ageing Ian Botham, was arguably their weakest link, and in the 2004 Champions Trophy, when Michael Vaughan’s men were already building towards the following summer’s Ashes.

In almost every other tournament of note they have been little short of a rabble, and that includes their previous forays in the World Twenty20, in South Africa in 2007, when they opened the batting with the bits-and-pieces Darren Maddy, and in 2009, when the Netherlands (including a certain Dirk Nannes) stunned them in the tournament curtain-raiser. At the third time of asking, however, England have hit upon a formula that deserves to succeed precisely because it doesn’t see success as a birthright. Every player from 1 to 11 is up for a scrap, and against an Australian side that doesn’t know when it’s beaten, a scrap is precisely what they can expect.

It has taken the Australians five years to shed the view that Twenty20 is a format for fun. However, Michael Clarke’s team is playing the game in the same serious, clinical and tunnel-visioned manner that has been so successful for them in Tests and ODIs over the past decade. Under Clarke’s captaincy the side’s worst result in 14 matches is the tie against New Zealand in February, which turned into a Super Over defeat.

Since then they have won six matches in a row, including the breath-taking semi-final triumph over Pakistan, in a record that is more suited to Ricky Ponting’s all-conquering outfits in 50-over World Cups. Not only are they well balanced, with frightening bowlers and muscular batsmen, but they now expect to win everything. And the only thing that can motivate them more than capturing a trophy they have never held is to beat England in doing it.

Form guide (Most recent first)
Australia WWWWW
England WWWWN
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Kevin Pietersen’s hunger has returned with a vengeance. For 12 anxious months, his game has been racked by unfamiliar self-doubt, triggered in part by injury, and in part by the chastening loss of the England captaincy. Many wondered whether his focus would ever be trained quite as intensely back onto the pitch, especially with the prospect of fatherhood adding an extra dimension of distraction, but in the Caribbean he has been a revelation, with three thumping performances either side of his paternity dash back to England. And what is more, there’s the additional incentive of payback, after his role in last summer’s Ashes was limited to a walk-on.

Michael Clarke is the main man in the tactical stakes and has marshalled his team brilliantly throughout the tournament. His thinking has been so strong that he has been called the Mike Brearley of Twenty20 cricket, although the description is a kiss-punch compliment. Clarke is the slowest scorer of Australia’s squad and is a gap-finder in a line-up of boundary clearers. So far his rotating-the-strike role hasn’t been costly, although his 17 off 19 balls in the semi-final left Michael Hussey successfully chasing a miracle to beat Pakistan. With a tournament strike-rate of 74.17, England will be targeting him – without wanting to get him out.

Team news
Australia have only changed their team once during the tournament, when Ryan Harris came in for the injured Mitchell Johnson, so don’t expect them to get fancy at such a crucial stage. A return to Barbados means some excitement for the pace trio of Johnson, Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait, who have combined for 31 wickets in this campaign.

Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 David Warner, 3 Brad Haddin (wk), 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 David Hussey, 6 Cameron White, 7 Michael Hussey, 8 Steven Smith, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Dirk Nannes, 11 Shaun Tait.

No surprises anticipated in England’s line-up, which has cultivated an air of solidity of which their 50-over team can only dream. With power-hitters throughout the top order, capable run-makers all the way to No. 10, and proper variety in their five-prong bowling attack, they’ve got the armoury to end their trophy drought.

England (probable) 1 Michael Lumb, 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood (capt), 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Luke Wright, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Michael Yardy, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Ryan Sidebottom.

Pitch and conditions
The Bridgetown surface has entered a timewarp in the course of the past fortnight. Long gone is the pudding on which West Indies racked up 750-plus in their Test against England last March, and in its place is a trampolinist’s paradise that brings to mind the Marshalls and Garners of yesteryear. No venue suits the likes of Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson better, and yet, this is where England themselves will feel happiest. All of their batsmen prefer the ball coming onto the bat, and that – if nothing else – can be guaranteed in the coming contest.

Stats

England and Australia have met in three completed Twenty20 internationals to date, including the second one contested, at the Rose Bowl in 2005. England, memorably, won that contest by 100 runs after reducing their opponents to 31 for 7. But, as Ricky Ponting might have put it, Australia didn’t take the format seriously back then …
Only two players on either side remain from that match – Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey for Australia; Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood for England.
Since going out of the 2009 World Twenty20, Australia have won 10 of their 11 completed fixtures, with a Super Over defeat against New Zealand being their only setback. For England’s part, their current run of four wins in a row is their hottest streak since the birth of the format
Australia have fond memories of finals in Bridgetown – they beat Sri Lanka by 53 runs at the venue to lift the World Cup in 2007. But they fared less well in their only Twenty20 fixture in Barbados prior to this tournament. In 2008, they lost an 11-over thrash against West Indies, despite posting an imposing 97 for 3
Quotes
“Michael Hussey is an absolute freak.”
Michael Clarke sums up the sentiments of most cricket-watchers following that semi-final performance.

“Let’s be honest, there aren’t too many areas we can improve on.”
Paul Collingwood is ready for whatever transpires in the final.
The world T20 decider has finally come! The final between Australia and England will be a real cracker. But if you ask me I would say Australia go into the match as favourites, says Wasim Akram.
Aussie confidence is sky high after dumping Pakistan in an extraordinary manner in the semifinal. Their bowling, batting and fielding everything has come off well in this tournament, and it would be a tall order for England. But the Kangaroos have to be wary of Kevin Pietersen, who is in great nick. If KP continues to have his way as he has had so far, then England have a real chance.
On Friday night, Pakistan played their best match of the tournament. Alas, it was not enough to beat the indomitable Aussies. They were up for it from the start of the match. Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal provided a solid start, and then Umar Akmal’s assault towards the end of the innings put Pakistan in the driver’s seat. But Michael Hussey’s barnstorming innings came in their way.
Despite the defeat the Pakistanis should not lose their hearts. It was one of those days when all your good efforts come to nothing. In fact they should be proud of the fact that they kept the Australians on their toes for the most part of the match.
Mike Hussey and Cameron White played like supermen, so losing to a team like that is not embarrassing at all. To be fair, Pakistan did everything right in the match and only a special innings like that of Hussey could have done for them. There are very few batsmen in the world who can score 18 runs off Saeed Ajmal’s over. Clearly, it was not Pakistan’s day.
There are a lot of positives from the match for Pakistan. The Akmal brothers’ performance is one of them. A lot of dirt has been cast on both after the Australian tour early this year. Let me assure you, all charges against them are false. I do not think they will ever engage in any activity that compromises the team’s interests. Both brothers are very hard-working and passionate cricketers, and the future of cricket in Pakistan is safe in their hands.
Umar is an extraordinary talent. His reflexes are excellent; he has got every shot in the book; he can play big shots and at the some time can be defensive if need be. All he got to do now is score runs in Tests, and I am very confident that he will be successful there as well.
A lot of former and current Pakistan cricketers are questioning Shahid Afridi’s captaincy. I think it would be unfair on Afridi, especially after what Pakistan have been through in the last six months and so. For the first time he was captaining the side in a World Cup so he would surely be under pressure. Overall, he has done well and should be given the due credit.
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They were the Olympic champions and also 2-times world champions, now have come to India fully charged to make a mark and win the cup to be the first ever country to win the World Cup 3 successive times.

They are a balanced team and Christopher Zeller is a player to watch the striker can change the course of a match and he has the distinction of being the most feared PC specialist.

South Korea qualifies to the 2010 World Cup after defeating Pakistan by a 1-0 at the Asia Cup finals during last May.

Although South Korea hasn’t won at any major event, one cannot write off this team. How can anyone forget their 0-4 loss against 2009 Champions Trophy match against Australia in Melbourne and then raising their game to defeat world champion team Germany by 5-3? They took bronze medal along with the Dutch the same trophy. The team boasts of amazing fitness levels and depends on superb penalty corners. The team looks at Jong-Ho Seo their main striker and should Jong-Hyun Jang regains his form, they will be just great contender from the Asia.

Can Korea repeat the same game and upset Germany? Wait and watch. or germany will win

South Korea vs Germany Live Stream Hockey World Cup 2010

Pakistan took only two minutes to score, through Rehan Butt, who would collect a hat trick in another classic match between the archrivals.

While two Pakistan players were cooling off on cards, India forced a penalty corner and leveled through Dhananjay Mahadik. India continued to enjoy the run of play, but Pakistan nailed its chances with Butt shooting home and Sohail Abbas adding a penalty corner goal for a 3-1 halftime lead.

After the break, India dominated, but its desperation to score left the defense vulnerable, and Haseem Khan’s goal against the run of play made it 4-1. There were four goals in the last eight minutes, with Butt claiming his third and Abbas his second. Mahadik also finished with a pair for India.

As in the Pakistan-India semifinal, New Zealand scored quickly, with Andrew Hayward converting a penalty corner to hush the home crowd. Argentina’s penalty corner specialist Pedro Ibarra claimed his sixth goal of the tournament to draw level, but just before halftime Phillip Burrows finished a counterattack to send New Zealand ahead into the break.

After Shea McAleese’s penalty corner goal 10 minutes into the second half gave New Zealand 3-1, Argentina’s attack ramped up but continued to be bottled by the New Zealand defense until four minutes from the end, when Lucas Vila’s counterattack field goal gave the home side renewed hope, but without enough time.

and his all-round performance tonight to dismantle New Zealand – along with the captain’s duck – will do nothing to quell further talk. But why burden yourself with leadership hassles when you can turn in the kind of man-mountain performance Afridi did, first resuscitating Pakistan from a disastrous start with the bat and then nearly taking a hat-trick as his side romped home to a 138-run win at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Afridi’s day had begun halfway through Pakistan’s innings, when having won the toss, they were making a mess of things. Shane Bond had bowled an opening five-over spell of refreshingly attacking intent, of real cunning, occasional pace and much guile. Each ball he bowled, it seemed, was geared only to take wickets, not save runs. With the rest of Bond’s colleagues chipping in, Afridi turned up to find his side limping around at 75 for 4.

Much like a magician he turned it into an ominous 287 for 9 with his innings opening up the floodgates for his lower order, in particular Kamran Akmal, who plundered New Zealand relentlessly at the death. In all, 137 runs came in the last 15 overs and 206 off the last 25, and Afridi was the culprit.

It was a calm hand by his standards, pretty brutal by any other, and the kind of innings Twenty20 has brought out of him. In its entirety it was mature, particularly in the realisation that he need not go at it helter-skelter from the off and that if his forearms are somehow aligned to his brain then mountains can be moved.

Indeed there was never a miscue or hoick to begin, just urgent nudges and grunted pushes to revive Pakistan’s comatose run-rate. Once Khalid Latif, drafted in as opener, pulled a boundary for nearly 12 overs in the 29th, he freed Afridi’s mind. Soon Afridi was dancing out to hoist three sixes in two overs of spin from Daniel Vettori and Nathan McCullum.

The flurry of boundaries is an Afridi trait, but once out of the way he reverted – pleasingly – to taking well-placed singles and doubles, managing the occasional boundary. Shane Bond was muscled over long-off for one such, to bring up his fifty off 37 balls, which was still sedate for him. He went soon after biffing a couple more, but not before, with a tranquil Latif, having revived Pakistan. Latif looked as threatening as a butterfly, without being as pretty, but he stuck around for what was a valuable fifty. And he was at his most effective when Afridi was going for it, simply because he ensured that Afridi got much of the strike.

Akmal, relieved of opening and for Afridi’s ballast, gleefully looted runs over the death, putting on 86 with Abdul Razzaq in just over seven overs – driving, scything and squeezing a parade of sixes and fours en route to a stunning 43-ball 67.

With the momentum, Pakistan’s pacemen worked their way through the top order, crippling the chase at the very off. Umar Gul may have been the main beneficiary in terms of wickets, but Mohammad Aamer’s opening spell – much older than the 17-year-old body and mind that produced it – was the key. At whippy pace, he gnawed away at both Brendon McCullum and Aaron Redmond over after over, regularly beating them for pace and inward movement and ultimately setting the tone of who was to boss the chase.

Inevitably, though, Afridi had to have the final word. Daniel Vettori and Aaron Redmond had gamely kept New Zealand within a sniff, though Redmond’s ponderous fifty – unlike Latif’s earlier – did not have anyone going crazy enough around it. After an indifferent, hurried first spell, Afridi got the pesky Vettori to drag on an attempted sweep, and with his next ball trapped Nathan McCullum. Another umpire might have even given the hat-trick – incorrect as it may have been – but denying Afridi in this kind of mood took some standing. New Zealand found it beyond them.

Pakistan cricket board Chairman Ijaz Butt, left, team’s captain Younis Khan, center, and coach Intikhar Alam, right, arrive to appear before a sports committee of the lower house in Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday,

Younis Khan has resigned as captain of Pakistan in protest at match-fixing allegations made against the team by a senior member of parliament.

Younus submitted his resignation to the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijaz Butt during a hearing of the National Assembly standing committee on sports in Islamabad on Tuesday.

The hearing was called to discuss the performance of the team in the Champions Trophy after the NA committee Chairman Jamshed Dasti said on television he had evidence Pakistan deliberately under-performed against Australia and New Zealand in the tournament.

Younis Khan’s perspective is not for everybody to hear that is why we called him in the meeting, Jamshed Dasti, chairman senate standing committee said.

‘I could not stand cricitism from all and sundry as it was affecting my performance that is why I resigned,’ said Khan.

A PCB official who spoke to  ClickSports.tv condition of anonymity believes there is more to the story than just criticism of the team and the captain.

‘Younis Khan was mystified as to why vice-captain Shahid Afridi was called up to discuss the New Zealand and Australia series when the captain himself was available in the country and recovering from what was only a hairline fracture. He could not understand the reason for being left out of the loop for two very important tours,’ he said.

However, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt has refused to accept Younis Khan’s resignation.