England and Pakistan cricketers attend MCG FanZone event ahead of T20 World Cup final

The iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is ready for the final of the T20 World Cup on 13 November. Ahead of the summit clash, there was a festive atmosphere around the ground. A fan fair was held outside the massive ground. The event was organised by the ICC, where the fans of the two teams got a chance to spend a few moments with the cricketers of Pakistan and England.

There is a park-like area that's open for the people at the MCG. A part of that is called "FanZone". On the day before the final, some cricketers from both teams were presented on the stage and the trophy was placed there.

Pakistan booked their ticket to the final after defeating New Zealand in the first semi-final at the Sydney Cricket Ground. On or off the field in that match, the whole was occupied by Pakistani supporters. The whole SCG gallery was covered in green. New Zealand fans were hard to find. Pakistan fans, again, were the most visible at the ICC FanZone event.

Just like Sydney, the English fans were hardly seen. The entire area was bursting with the screams of Pakistani supporters. They danced to English and Pakistani songs and waited for the special moment.

An English supporter named Mile Filton was seen in between. He raised both his hands to attract attention as if he wanted to convey, "Look at the situation, there are only Pakistan supporters everywhere."

This momentary helplessness, however, is nothing to Filton. He is keeping his team far ahead. This middle-aged English supporter said, "Let them rule here [in the FanZone], we will show our prowess on the field. Although it was difficult to reach the semi-finals, our team was unstoppable there. It is no small feat to simply blow away a team like India like that. The pressure is high in the final, but we have faith in the team. The title will be ours."

Some cricketers from both teams came on stage and stayed for ten minutes. At this time, the vice-captains of the two teams, Shadab Khan and Moeen Ali, spoke to the presenter along with responding to the audience's love. Before this, the captains of the two teams, Babar Azam and Jos Buttler, spoke at the press conference. The two captains were not allowed in the Fan zone due to ICC's official photo session obligations.

"I feel like I am in Pakistan," said Shadab. "Wherever we went, they supported us. Thanks for their support. Even though we didn't start well, they supported us, trusted us."

In response to a question from the  presenter, England vice-captain Moeen Ali said, "We have done well before. I hope to do well this time too. We have a good batting line-up. But we have to play well as a team. We have played good cricket and will try to repeat that in the final."

The event ended with a selfie taken by the cricketers with the audience in the background.