Ben Stokes and Sam Curran starred as England edged Pakistan by five wickets to win the Twenty20 World Cup on November 13, 2022 and become cricket’s first dual white-ball champions, holding both the 50 and 20-over titles.
Jos Buttler’s side held Pakistan to 137-8 in front of a partisan 80,462 fans at a heaving Melbourne Cricket Ground, with player-of-the-match Curran bagging 3-12 and Adil Rashid chipping with 2-22.
In reply, England slumped to 49-3 in the sixth over as they struggled to get any momentum against a fiery pace attack, with boundaries hard to come by.
But Stokes (52 not out) and Moeen Ali (19) used their experience and cool heads to guide England to 138-5 with six balls to spare, climaxing a riveting tournament that spanned 45 games over nearly a month.
England’s Sam Curran poses with his player of the tournament award at the ICC men’s Twenty20 World Cup 2022 final cricket match between England and Pakistan at The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on November 13, 2022. | Photo Credit: AFP
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The victory added to the 50-over title England won in 2019, building on the legacy of former captain Eoin Morgan, who retired this year after transforming the team into a white-ball juggernaut.
It was England’s second T20 crown after tasting success in 2010, joining the West Indies as the only two-time winners since the tournament’s inception in 2007.
The game was billed as a showdown between Pakistan’s attack and England’s top order, and Shaheen Afridi bowled danger man Alex Hales in the first over of the run chase.
But that only fired up Buttler who smashed two boundaries off Naseem Shah.
Phil Salt, playing in place of the injured Dawid Malan, didn’t last, making just 10 before pulling Haris Rauf to Iftikhar Ahmed
The ball was swinging and seaming and the menacing Rauf claimed the key wicket of Buttler just as he was getting in, edging to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan on 26 off 17 balls.
The runs dried up and Harry Brook needed treatment for a blow to his elbow but he soldiered on as they reached 77-3 at the halfway point of the innings, compared to Pakistan’s 68-2.
Ben Stokes of England bats during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Final match between Pakistan and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 13, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Brook came undone on 20 against the spin of Shadab Khan, holing out to Afridi as he tried to get the scoreboard moving.
It came down to needing 41 runs off the final five overs.
Stokes relieved the pressure with a four and a six off Ahmed and there was no stopping them with the England all-rounder hitting the winning runs.
Rashid strikes
With forecast rain staying away, England produced disciplined and economical bowling to stymie 2009 champions Pakistan, with Shan Masood’s 38 the top score.
Stokes was given the new ball after England won the toss and choise to field with Pakistan lucky to survive the over intact as opener Rizwan was almost run out going for a risky single.
Rizwan and Babar Azam shared a century partnership in their semi-final against New Zealand, but another big stand wasn’t to be, with Rizwan dragging a delivery from Curran on to his stumps on 15.
The introduction of Rashid soon after the six-over powerplay reaped an immediate reward with Mohammad Haris (8) attacking him on his first ball only to sky a simple catch to Stokes.
Masood began swinging the bat in the second half of the innings, hitting a four and six off Liam Livingstone.
But once again Rashid got the breakthrough, pulling off a diving catch from his own bowling to claim the vital wicket of Azam, whose 32 came off 28 balls.
Ahmed only lasted six balls before Masood and Shadab Khan (20) fell in the space of two runs as Curran and Chris Jordan kept the lid on any hope Pakistan had of a late flurry.
Scoreboard
Pakistan Innings: Mohammad Rizwan b Sam Curran 15 Babar Azam c and b Adil Rashid 32 Mohammad Haris c Stokes b Adil Rashid 8 Shan Masood c Livingstone b Sam Curran 38 Iftikhar Ahmed c Jos Buttler b Stokes 0 Shadab Khan c Chris Woakes b Chris Jordan 20 Mohammad Nawaz c Livingstone b Sam Curran 5 Mohammad Wasim Jr c Livingstone b Chris Jordan 4 Shaheen Afridi not out 5 Haris Rauf not out 1 Extras: (B-1, LB-1, W-6, NB-1) 9
Total: (8 wkts, 20 Overs)
Fall of Wickets: 1-29, 2-45, 3-84, 4-85, 5-121, 6-123, 7-129, 8-131.
England bowling: Ben Stokes 4-0-32-1, Chris Woakes 3-0-26-0, Sam Curran 4-0-12-3, Adil Rashid 4-1-22-2, Chris Jordan 4-0-27-2, Liam Livingstone 1-0-16-0.
England Innings: Jos Buttler c Rizwan b Haris Rauf 26 Alex Hales b Shaheen Afridi 1 Philip Salt c Iftikhar Ahmed b Haris Rauf 10 Ben Stokes not out 52 Harry Brook c Shaheen Afridi b Shadab Khan 20 Moeen Ali b Mohammad Wasim Jr 19 Liam Livingstone not out 1 Extras: (LB-1, W-8) 9
Total: (5 wkts, 19 Overs) 138
Fall of Wickets: 1-7, 2-32, 3-45, 4-84, 5-132
Pakistan bowling: Shaheen Afridi 2.1-0-13-1, Naseem Shah 4-0-30-0, Haris Rauf 4-0-23-2, Shadab Khan 4-0-20-1, Mohammad Wasim Jr 4-0-38-1, Iftikhar Ahmed 0.5-0-13-0
