England take on Pakistan in throwback final

A confident England will look to deny Pakistan a fairytale finish in Sunday's Twenty20 World Cup final and become the first nation to hold both global white-ball trophies - if Melbourne's fickle weather permits.

Heavy rain could disrupt the Melbourne Cricket Ground showdown and even see the teams crowned joint champions if unable to complete a match of at least 10 overs per side by the end of the reserve day on Monday.

However, conditions should hold up long enough to deliver a contest between the two nations who played for the 50-overs World Cup 30 years ago at the MCG.

After shaky starts both hit top gear in the semifinals, with Pakistan easing to a seven-wicket win over New Zealand in Sydney and England humiliating India by 10 wickets in Adelaide.

Pakistan, the 2009 champions, have had a charmed tournament since being pushed to the brink of elimination by Zimbabwe, with the Netherlands helping them into the semifinals by eliminating South Africa.

30 years after Imran Khan's Pakistan claimed the 1992 World Cup, Babar Azam's team may feel it is their destiny to deliver trophy.

England, the reigning 50-overs world champions, are looking to win a second global T20 title after their 2010 triumph and to build on the legacy of former captain Eoin Morgan, who transformed the team into a white-ball juggernaut.

Pakistan are likely to be unchanged but England could opt to bring back express paceman Mark Wood and number three batsman Dawid Malan if the pair are fit.

The final has been billed as a battle between Pakistan's vaunted pace attack and England's top order, but both sides boast other weapons.