Vic Marks writes in the Guardian that it's appropriate that Sri Lanka and Pakistan facing each other in the final just three months after the terrorist attack in Lahore. He also lists the similarities in both sides in his preview.
They have spinners who can turn the ball in both directions (Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan for Sri Lanka, Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal for Pakistan) and pace bowlers who are incredibly adept at delivering yorkers to order (Lasith Malinga and Umar Gul) plus a couple of left-armers too young to feel fear (Isuru Udana and Mohammad Aamer). Both sides know how to play "tournament" cricket.
In the Independent on Sunday, Stephen Brenkley writes that both Pakistan and Sri Lanka have shown that bowlers have a major say in Twenty20s and batting needn't be all about thuggish slogging. He also names some of the best features of the tournament: top game (England v Netherlands), top innings (Dilshan's unbeaten 96 in the semi-finals), and more.
Pakistan's batting has under-performed in almost every game so far, particularly the senior batsmen Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq, writes Kamran Abbasi in the Dawn . He thinks Pakistan has an edge in the in the bowling department, with four showstoppers compared to Sri Lanka's three.
Simon Wilde writes in the Sunday Times that victory for either side will help consign memories of Lahore to the past. Steve James says in the Sunday Telegraph it'll be the bowlers that will decide which side emerges on top at Lord's.
Also read Andrew Miller's preview of the final here.
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