England defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the final of ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022.
Chasing a target of 138 runs, England crossed the finish line in 19 overs.
Ben Stokes played a match-winning knock of 52 runs.
Pakistan could accumulate only 137/8 after being asked to bat first.
With this win, England became only the second time to win this competition twice.
England defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, here at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, 13 November. Chasing a target of 138 runs, England crossed the finish line in 19 overs, losing only five wickets in the process.
With this victory, the Three Lions became only the second team to lift this prestigious silverware for the second time, after West Indies. For Pakistan, however, it was the second defeat in a final in three months, having lost the Asia Cup 2022 final back in September.
Chasing a low target of 138 runs, England got off to a poor start as speedster Shaheen Afridi dismantled the stumps of Alex Hales in the first over. However, as he did against India, Jos Buttler ensured the field restrictions are being utilised to their fullest by playing big shorts in the powerplay.
The momentum swung when Haris Rauf dismissed both Buttler and Phil Salt in his two consecutive overs. At 45/3, England needed a partnership, and they got so from Ben Stokes and Harry Brook, who added 39 runs for the third-wicket stand.
At 84/3, it seemed that the match was heading to a one-sided finish, but Brook’s dismissal of Shadab Khan’s bowling changed the complexion of the game. However, in the process of taking a fine catch to dismiss Brook, Afridi ended up injuring himself, which turned out to be a turning point.
While he returned to bowl the 16th over, the lethal speedster had to leave the field after only the first delivery. England accumulated 13 runs from the remaining five deliveries, bowled by part-timer Iftikhar Ahmed, and the balance of the game swung yet again.
Stokes and Moeen Ali had a comfortable time at the crease from then onwards, and while the latter lost his wicket in the penultimate over of the game, it was insignificant from the grand perspective, as England were only six runs away from the title.
Curran’s Three-Fer Restricts Pakistan to Meek 137
Earlier, Pakistan scored 137/8 after being asked to bat first by England. Shan Masood was the pick of the batters from the 2009 champions, scoring a 28-ball 38, while for England, Sam Curran was the most successful bowler as he registered exemplary figures of 4-0-12-3.
Pakistani openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan got off to a slow start, with the first three overs producing only 16 runs. While Chris Woakes conceded 12 runs in the fourth over of the innings, Pakistan could not capitalise on the momentum as Sam Curran bowled Rizwan in the very next over.
Youngster Mohammad Haris, who usually is known for his power-hitting, also had a poor day at the office today, as he departed after scoring only eight runs in the eighth over. Following his dismissal, Shan Masood decided to free the shackles by playing some big shots.
His effort was commendable, as the left-handed batter took Pakistan from 45/2 to 84/2 in less than five overs. However, skipper Azam and in-form batter Iftikhar Ahmed lost their wickets in consecutive overs – stunting Pakistan’s acceleration yet again.
Masood continued his resilience, with Shadab Khan to provide him company this time around, but just as when the scales started to tip in Pakistan’s favour, England dismissed both batters in a span of six deliveries to maintain their control on the match.
The green shirts’ tail-enders looked out of sorts against the English pacers, who conceded only 18 runs in the last four overs of the match, giving away only a solitary boundary in the process.
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