England beat Pakistan by 5 wickets to win its second T20 World Cup, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday. Chasing 138 to regain the title it won in 2010, England rode on Ben Stoke's half-century and Moeen Ali's late cameo to win with 6 balls to spare.
Pakistan was put into bat first and was able to muster only 137/8 in its 20 overs in a dark and cloudy MCG, whose big boundaries made it tough for the batsmen. Shan Masood was the pick of the batsmen for Pakistan, top-scoring with 38 of 28 balls.
Let us look at some of the talking points as the ODI World Cup champion added another trophy to its cabinet.
1) Pakistan's final 10-over collapse
MCG has always provided good movement for the quicks up front. And adding the big boundaries to the equation meant a not-so-explosive start was inevitable for the batting side.
A collapse of staggering proportions. 55-7 in the last 9 overs. Only two boundaries in the last 5 overs.Related stories
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 13, 2022
However, after a steady start, you'd expect Pakistan to accelerate and put up a fighting total that would give its bowlers something to defend in the second innings. But that wasn't meant to be as England bowled brilliantly and put pressure on the batsmen, picking up wickets at regular intervals. Pakistan scored only 55 runs in its last 9 overs, losing 7 wickets in the process. This ultimately meant Pakistan set a total even its brilliant attack couldn't defend eventually.
2) Rashid redemption
Leg-spinner Adil Rashid had picked up only 2 wickets in the tournament so far but still had the backing of captain Jos Buttler and the rest of the team. He repaid that faith with a brilliant spell in the middle overs that proved to be the catalyst for Pakistan's collapse.
Adil Rashid had only 2 wickets up until this finalPlayed every game
Was assured of his place every game
Was backed every game
...now we can all see the result of that backing he received over the course of the tournament
Might win them the WORLD CUP TROPHY with this spell
— Tabraiz Shamsi (@shamsi90) November 13, 2022
He picked up two key wickets, including skipper Babar Azam, who was foxed by Rashid's google in his third over that also turned out to be a maiden. Rashid never let the batsmen settle, and the pressure paid off as Pakistan lost wickets in a heap.
In pics: England beat Pakistan by 5 wickets to win T20 World Cup 2022
3) Curran England's hero
Sam Curran piled on the pressure that Rashid created with a bowling masterclass that saw him end the World Cup as the Player of the Tournament. The left-arm pacer gave away only 12 runs in his 4 overs and picked up 3 key wickets.
Sam Curran in 2021: Commentator during the T20 World Cup.Sam Curran in 2022: Won the player of the tournament in T20 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/x0BrXXnAvq
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 13, 2022
He made intelligent use of the big square boundaries at the MCG, forcing Shan Masood and Mohammad Nawaz to take on the mid-wicket boundary that proved fatal for the two. Both were caught by Liam Livingstone well within the boundary as Curran finished the tournament with 13 wickets, including the important scalp of opener Mohammad Rizwan (bowled) during the powerplay.
4) Shaheen Afridi's injury changes momentum
Pakistan bowled brilliantly to make a match out of the relatively small total. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf made the bowl dart around the English batsmen, who struggled at the pace and movement the Pakistani quicks were generating. However, all the pressure created by the bowling unit changed when England's Harry Brook was held out at long-off in the 13th over. Afridi took the catch but seemed to have injured his right knee, which seemed to be a game-changing moment.
Actually I always get ready for any result
But Shaheen Afridi injury .. #ShaheenShahAfridi #PakvsEng pic.twitter.com/MVx4E0nR0S— Noor Hafeez Abbasi (@noor_babarian56) November 13, 2022
With 41 needed from the last 5 overs, Afridi came on to bowl the 16th over. But it was obvious Afridi still hadn't recovered from the injury as he hobbled to the bowling crease to deliver a half-paced delivery in the first ball. He was immediately taken off after that and Iftikhar Ahmad replaced him.
The gamble of giving over to Iftikhar Ahmed inorder complete the over of Shaheen Shah Afridi changed the result and shift of the final. #T20WorldCupFinal— Arfa Feroz Zake (@ArfaSays_) November 13, 2022
Ben Stokes took full advantage of that as he smashed a 4 and a 6 in the last two balls of the over to reduce the deficit. Those two hits changed the direction of momentum as England hit 16 of the very next over and eventually romped to a victory.
5) Stokes delivers yet again under pressure
Ben Stokes was England's hero with the bat in yet another World Cup final as he fittingly hit the winning runs at the end. Stokes was England's hero at Lord's in the 2019 World Cup final, which it won in the most dramatic of circumstances.
The Ben Stokes roar pic.twitter.com/PKrExrc9KW— England Cricket (@englandcricket) November 13, 2022
He has played many match-winning innings for England across formats, and today's unbeaten knock of 52 (49) under pressure is a brilliant addition to his collecton.
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