In the final match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, England beat Pakistan by five wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne.
England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to field first. The English bowlers did well with the white ball as they restricted Pakistan to an under-par score of 137/8 in 20 overs. Sam Curran was magnificent on the night as he was brilliantly swinging the ball both ways. Adil Rashid also helped immensely in the middle overs to keep the Pakistan batters quiet.
While chasing, the Englishmen struggled a bit in the powerplay. Opener Alex Hales lost his wicket cheaply in the first over itself which gave Pakistani bowlers a mighty boost. Although Buttler (26) tried his best to stay at the crease, even he lost his wicket in the final over of the powerplay. It was then Ben Stokes‘ (52*) heroics at the MCG which led England to achieve wonders in the T20 format as well. The southpaw did not have the best strike rate but it was his presence at the crease which mattered the most. In his brilliant innings of a half-century, he scored five fours and one six, which ensured England’s victory tonight. England also got served some valuable runs from Harry Brook (20) and Moeen Ali (19*) in the end which turned out to be gold in the run chase.
In the first innings, no one really came forward and got any mighty runs for the Men in Green. In the beginning, Babar Azam (32) got a few runs but wasn’t enough. Shan Masood (38) also tried to carry the team but did not get any help from the other end.
Young Sam Curran was looking sharp with the ball. In his quota of four overs, he only gave 12 runs and took three wickets. Along with him, two wickets were also picked by Adil Rashid and Chris Jordan. Ben Stokes also got one wicket.
For Pakistan, while defending, the bowlers were gunning in at the batters for the most part of the innings. In the process, Haris Rauf plucked two wickets. Shadab Khan got one as well and so did Shaheen Afridi.
Sam Curran was adjudged Man of the Match for his incredible bowling performance. With this win, England have clinched the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 and becomes the first team to hold both ODI and T20I World titles at the same time.
Scorecard:
Pakistan: 137/8, Overs 20, Shan Masood 38, Sam Curran 3/12
England: 138/5, Overs 19, Ben Stokes 52*, Haris Rauf 2/23