Ben Stokes scored an unbeaten 52 off 49 balls to guide England to a 5-wicket win over Pakistan in the final match of T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday. This is England’s 2nd T20 World Cup title after 2010.
Haris Rauf’s 2 for 23 went in vain as England edged past Pakistan in the 138-run chase at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Earlier, England skipper Jos Buttler had won the toss and opted to bowl first in the game.
England delivered a fantastic performance with the ball, restricting Pakistan to 137/8. Sam Curran (3/12) lead the English batting attack. Chasing 138, England was reduced to 45/3 before powerplay. But Stokes (52*) delivered in a big match once again to take his side to a victory.
Chasing 138, England lost opener Alex Hales in the first over itself for just one run after Shaheen Afridi sent a delivery crashing through his gates. Phil Salt joined skipper Jos Buttler. The duo attacked young pacer Naseem Shah, smashing him for three fours, with the captain hitting two.
Just when it seemed that the duo was building a partnership, Haris Rauf intervened to send back Salt for just 10 off nine balls. Rauf got his second wicket of the match as he dismissed the skipper Buttler for 26 off 17 balls. At the end of powerplay in six overs, England was 49/3, with Harry Brook (4*) joining Stokes (1*).
The duo helped England reach halfway through their innings without any damage. Stokes-Brook were bringing England back into the game, one run at a time. But their stand was cut short at 39 runs by spinner Shadab Khan, who dismissed Brook for 20 off 23 balls.
However, with Shaheen Afridi pulling out with a knee injury, it handed England a massive boost. Moeen smashed pacer Mohammad Wasim for two boundaries, bringing down the deficit to 20 runs in 22 balls. He also hit a boundary on the final ball, leaving England to chase 12 runs in the final three overs.
The 48-run stand between Ali and Stokes came to an end after Wasim dislodged the former’s stumps. The left-hander’s short, but valuable cameo was over at 19 runs in 13 balls. Stokes brought his first half-century in T20I cricket with a four in 47 balls and hit a winning run.
Sam Curran was chosen as the Player of the Tournament. A three-for in the final, the only bowler with a five-wicket haul in the World Cup and 13 wickets across the tournament.
Sam Curran, who was also the Man of the Match in the final, also picks up the Player of the Tournament award.