What once seemed like a one-team procession at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup has suddenly burst wide open. South Africa’s commanding 76-run win over heavy pre-tournament favourites India has reshaped the narrative of the competition.

The early signs were always there — Australia’s failure to progress beyond the group stage proved that reputations count for little in this tournament.

Yet neither England nor Pakistan have made entirely convincing cases for themselves so far.

England stumbled out of the blocks, edging past Nepal by just four runs before losing to West Indies. Narrow victories over Scotland and Italy followed, the latter having earlier stunned Nepal by ten wickets. Pakistan’s campaign has followed a similarly uneven path: a shaky start against the Netherlands, wins over USA and Namibia, but a heavy 61-run defeat to India.

Their Super Eight clash with New Zealand was washed out, leaving Pakistan’s semi-final hopes precariously balanced. England, meanwhile, beat Sri Lanka by 51 runs, though the margin flattered them. Defending a modest 146 for 9, with Phil Salt’s half-century the only significant contribution, they benefited from Sri Lanka’s poor batting display.

Both Harry Brook and Jofra Archer admitted after that game that England are still searching for a complete performance. Pakistan, too, are yet to fire collectively against elite opposition. At present, both sides appear short of their best.

Openers Jos Buttler and Saim Ayub have managed just 123 runs combined, while Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan has stood out as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 220 runs at an average of 73.33 and a strike rate exceeding 164. Babar Azam’s strike rate of 115.78 has drawn scrutiny, and Pakistan made the bold call to drop Shaheen Shah Afridi after an expensive spell against India left him with just three wickets in three matches.

England have increasingly leaned on Will Jacks, a three-time Player of the Match, to deliver with both bat and ball when others have faltered. They enjoy near home-like conditions at this venue, having won four matches here in under a month, including a 3-0 bilateral series sweep over Sri Lanka prior to the tournament. Pakistan, by contrast, move away from Colombo for the first time this campaign and must adapt quickly — their tournament survival may hinge on it.

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England appear well balanced with a spin-heavy attack featuring Adil Rashid, Liam Dawson, Jacks and Jacob Bethell, complemented by the pace of Jofra Archer and Jamie Overton. Sam Curran adds further depth with his death bowling and middle-order stability — though he wasn’t required to bowl against Sri Lanka. For England to produce their “perfect game,” all departments must click in unison.

England (probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (capt), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.

Pakistan are expected to field the same XI that was due to play New Zealand before the washout. The experienced Fakhar Zaman is set to make his first appearance of the tournament, preferred over Khawaja Nafay. With several spin options included, Mirza remains their sole specialist seamer.

Pakistan (probable XI): Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (capt), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq.

With qualification hopes hanging in the balance, both teams know that anything less than their best could spell the end of their World Cup journey.