T20 World Cup final: Ground stats of the MCG
Pakistan will meet England in the high-voltage final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. The iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground will host this contest on Sunday (November 13). While Pakistan comprehensively defeated New Zealand by seven wickets in the first semi-final, the second semi-final saw England annihilate India by 10 wickets. Here we look at the notable stats of the MCG.
Why does this story matter?
Situated in the heart of Melbourne, MCG has a rich history as the venue has hosted numerous memorable matches over the years. It is one of the largest stadiums in the world and the second-largest cricket ground by capacity. The venue has a capacity of 100,024 including seating for around 95,000 viewers. It is also the biggest stadium in the entire Southern Hemisphere.
History of the venue
MCG hosted its first cricket match in 1854, soon after the birth of Test cricket. A century later, ODI matches were played at the venue. Notably, Australia has hosted two ODI World Cups so far (1992 and 2015) and MCG hosted the final on both occasions. Hence, the upcoming contest would see the third World Cup final at the venue.
Average first-innings score at the MCG
The venue has hosted 21 T20Is so far with the average first-innings score being 143. Sides batting second have won 11 times here. While the pacers get assistance with the new ball at the venue, spinners can be effective in the middle overs with the boundaries being on the larger side. Hence, batters need to toil hard to earn runs here.
Stats in the ongoing tournament
167 is the average first-innings score at the venue in the ongoing tournament. Teams batting first have won twice here. Notably, only three games were completed at the venue in T20 WC 2022 while the other three matches got washed out.
A look at the top scorers
With 337 runs, Aaron Finch is the leading run-getter in T20Is at the MCG. David Warner owns the highest individual score here, 89 vs South Africa in 2009. Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed scored fifties at the venue in this tournament. Kamran Akmal is the other Pakistani with a T20I fifty at the MCG. No England batter has a T20I half-century at the venue.
Bowlers with the most wickets at the MCG
Australian pacer Kane Richardson has scalped the most T20I wickets at the venue, nine in four games. Josh Hazlewood's 4/30 against England are the best bowling figures at the MCG in T20Is. England's Liam Livingstone and Mark Wood scalped a three-fer apiece at the venue in this tournament. Umar Gul is the only Pakistan bowler to record a T20I three-wicket haul at the MCG.
A look at the key team numbers (T20Is)
India's 186/5 vs Zimbabwe earlier in the tournament is the highest team score at the venue. India also own the lowest team score here, 74 vs Australia. India's 71-run victory against Zimbabwe is also the biggest win here in terms of runs. While 169 by Sri Lanka is the highest successfully chased total at the venue, Australia defended the lowest total here (127).
England and Pakistan at the MCG
Both England and Pakistan have unpleasant memories of the venue. While Pakistan lost both of their previous T20I games here, England suffered defeats in all of their four T20I outings at the venue. Both teams previously played one game at the MCG in the tournament. While Pakistan lost to India by four wickets, England suffered a shocking five-run defeat (DLS method) against Ireland.
