Babar has praised his side's middle order for "stepping up" in Australia and believes Pakistan's fast bowlers and controlling the powerplay are key to winning the final
Reaching the 2022 T20 World Cup final is a "dream come true" for Pakistan skipper, Babar Azam.
His side looked down and out after two matches, suffering back-to-back losses against India and Zimbabwe, before a run of three consecutive wins – and a helping hand from the Netherlands, who eliminated South Africa at the eleventh hour – secured a top-two finish in group two.
In the last four, they defeated New Zealand by seven wickets in Sydney to reach their first T20 World Cup final since 2009, when they took home the trophy.
"We didn't start off well, but we came back with great momentum," Babar said. "In the previous three or four matches, Pakistan team has played very well on both individual and team level.
"We've been working really hard for this. It feels like a dream come true to reach the final."
Iftikhar Ahmed is among the middle order batters to step up for Pakistan [Isuru Sameera Peiris/Getty Images]
Pakistan's route to the final wasn't helped by the struggles of talismanic openers Babar and Mohammad Rizwan. The former scored just 39 runs in the Super 12s while the latter struggled for consistency.
Both players returned to form in the semi-finals, scoring a half-century apiece and sharing a 105-run opening partnership, but Babar believes the middle order deserve credit for "stepping up" in the group stages.
Shan Masood (137 runs at 114.16, one half-century) and Iftikhar Ahmed (114 runs at 131.03, two half-centuries) held their side together while Shadab Khan (78 runs at a strike rate of 177.27) is in the form of his life lower down the order.
Young batter Mohammad Haris, meanwhile, has earned praise from team mentor, Matthew Hayden, for injecting "energy" and "enthusiasm" into the side at No.3, scoring 89 runs at a strike rate of 161.81 in three innings.
"Great pressure is built upon you when you are under a spell of not scoring well," Babar said. "I'd like to commend the middle order. They stepped up and took the responsibility to achieve what me and Rizwan couldn't.
Babar believes Pakistan's pace bowlers, including Haris Rauf, will be crucial in the final [Quinn Rooney/Getty Images]
"Iftikhar, Shadab and Haris played extremely well. Although a youngster, Haris proved himself to be an asset in this event.
"Although I couldn't perform, the rest of the team kept me motivated."
In Sunday's final, Pakistan will take on England in a repeat of the 1992 Cricket World Cup trophy showdown, which also took place at the MCG. On that occasion, Pakistan won by 22 runs and in order to replicate the success of Imran Khan's side, Babar believes his side's pace bowlers and Pakistan's ability to control the powerplay will be crucial.
"England is a competitive team. Their win to reach the final against India was proof of that. Our strategy is to stick to our plan and use our pace attack as our strength to win the final," he said.
"Utilising the powerplay to grab as many wickets will be essential for the match. Even when you bat, you want to set a great pace for the [incoming] batsmen. We will try to maintain and continuously build our momentum, hence ensuring a better performance."
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