England edge Pakistan by five wickets to win Twenty20 World Cup
Melbourne: 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.
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.
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
England’s Sam Curran named player of tournament
England left-arm pacer Sam Curran was named the player of the tournament following his team’s five wicket win over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup final.
Curran, who made a comeback from injury earlier this year, was also the player of the match for his remarkable figures of three for 12 in four overs in the summit clash. He ended the tournament with 13 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 6.52 runs per over.
“MCG has big square boundaries, so I knew my into the wicket type bowling would work and try to make them hit square of the wicket. We felt the wicket was not as good as we thought it would be. “It was nipping around everywhere and it was challenge to chase. I go into the wicket with my slower balls and try to keep the batsmen guessing,” Curran said after the game.
England had restricted Pakistan to 137 for eight in 20 overs. Ben Stokes then scored an unbeaten 52 off 49 balls to help England lift their second T20 World Cup title. “We are World Champions, how good. Incredibly special (to have Stokes). He is someone I look up to and always turns up when the team needs him, people question him but there’s no questioning him, he’s the man,” said Curran. “To be honest, I am little bit lost for words, it has been a great tournament. First time for me in a World Cup and we have won it.
England had restricted Pakistan to 137 for eight in 20 overs. Ben Stokes then scored an unbeaten 52 off 49 balls to help England lift their second T20 World Cup title. “We are World Champions, how good. Incredibly special (to have Stokes). He is someone I look up to and always turns up when the team needs him, people question him but there’s no questioning him, he’s the man,” said Curran. “To be honest, I am little bit lost for words, it has been a great tournament. First time for me in a World Cup and we have won it.
