Here's the full match report:
Melbourne: England's golden generation of white ball cricketers overcame a spirited Pakistan to lift the T20 World Cup trophy with a comfortable five-wicket victory here on Sunday. The Pakistani fans were longing for an encore of 1992 when Imran Khan's team created history at this very venue but batting let Babar Azam side's down as 137 for 8 was never going to be good enough.
The seasoned Ben Stokes (52 not out off 49 balls) just like the 2019 ODI World Cup, anchored the chase despite occasional scratchiness and had a calm Moeen Ali (19) as an ideal foil. They chased down the target in 19 overs to regain the title they had won in 2010 in the West Indies.
Experienced Haris Rauf and young Nasim Shah bowled their hearts out to prevent it from becoming a one-sided game but Stokes soaked the pressure along with Ali as the duo put on a 48-run stand for the fifth wicket to nail the win that avenged England's loss to the same rivals in the '92 World Cup final.
Shaheen Shah Afridi also could not bowl his full quota of overs after suffering a hamstring injury while fielding and that too helped England. But player of the evening certainly was left-arm seamer Sam Curran, whose couple of spells had heavily tilted the game in the favour England.
Shane Warne had tormented Pakistan at the MCG in the 1999 final and it was turn of another leggie Adil Rashid to flummox them. Stokes took 30 balls to measure the Pakistani attack but with no scoreboard pressure, the southpaw pressed the accelerator just when needed to finish the match.
England's depth in resources could be gauged from the fact that they became the champions despite not having Dawid Malan, Mark Wood in the knock-out games and Jonny Bairstow, a T20 superstar in the form of his life, was not available for the tournament. It was seven years back in this very country that England's limited overs cricket lay in tatters with a dated approach and lack of intent being pointed as the reason for a group league exit from the ODI World Cup.
The core of the team was changed along with the mindset and in three years time, England now have both the white ball titles in their closet having identified match-winners in this format. The revolution was started by an Irishman who responded to the name of Eoin Morgan. He moulded the ODI team into a champion outfit and handed the T20 baton to an able Gen-Next leader in Jos Buttler.
A champion T20 player in his own right, Buttler in the past few months, has proved to be a leader of men and in fact put Pakistan under immense pressure with his heart-warming humility. The MCG rooted for Pakistan but no one grudged when Stokes pumped his fists after what had been an incredibly difficult few years, battling depression and mental health issues.
In front of an audience of 80,462, two highly-rated but not enough celebrated T20 bowlers Curran and Rashid scripted the win. The duo put relentless pressure on the Pakistan batting line-up to restrict the opposition to a below-par 137 for eight.
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Stokes does it again!
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) November 13, 2022 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
Congratulations to England, #T20WorldCup Champions!
Iconic moments like this will be available as officially licensed ICC digital collectibles with @0xFanCraze.
Visit https://t.co/EaGDgPxPzl today to see if this could be a Crictos of the Game. pic.twitter.com/ph8NAbaLy9
">Stokes does it again!
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) November 13, 2022
Congratulations to England, #T20WorldCup Champions!
Iconic moments like this will be available as officially licensed ICC digital collectibles with @0xFanCraze.
Visit https://t.co/EaGDgPxPzl today to see if this could be a Crictos of the Game. pic.twitter.com/ph8NAbaLy9Stokes does it again!
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) November 13, 2022
Congratulations to England, #T20WorldCup Champions!
Iconic moments like this will be available as officially licensed ICC digital collectibles with @0xFanCraze.
Visit https://t.co/EaGDgPxPzl today to see if this could be a Crictos of the Game. pic.twitter.com/ph8NAbaLy9
Curran, who made comeback from an injury earlier this year, has been England's go to' bowler in the competition and he proved that on the big stage with brilliant figures of 4-0-12-3. The wily Rashid (4-1-22-2) wasn't going to be left far behind as he choked the run-flow in the middle overs with as many as 25 dot balls between him and Curran.
Rashid, with his stupendous effort, time and again showed how the Indian team management bungled its script by letting Yuzvendra Chahal cool his heels throughout the tournament. The MCG track had enough bounce and pace but Buttler's best performing bowling duo (Curran and Rashid) did exactly the opposite take the pace off their deliveries.
Rashid flighted and lowered his pace to 75 kmph while Curran bowled between 126 kmph to 130 kmph which made run scoring difficult for the Pakistani batters. Both Babar (32 off 28 balls) and Mohammed Rizwan (15 off 14) started on a cautious note as they had been doing for the past one year.
Curran, England's most consistent bowler in the tournament, angled one across at fuller length and Rizwan didn't have enough width to drive as he dragged that back to the stumps. Babar hit a couple of boundaries but as it has been for him generally, it was more of a struggle to keep the scoreboard alive.
At the start of the back-10, when Jos Buttler introduced Liam Livingstone to bowl his off-breaks, Shan got 14 runs with a down the ground boundary and a six. But Babar at the other end was foxed by Rashid as he shaped to play the cut and found a googly cramping him for room to give a return catch to the English leg-spinner of Pakistani descent.
Iftikhar Ahmed (0) would like to forget the evening as he was kept under tight leash by Rashid and then Stokes bowled one in the channel to get a nick as Pakistan slumped to 85 for 4 in the 13th over. Shan built a launchpad for himself and thew it all away as Curran tested his patience with variations of cross seam deliveries and cutters.
Scoreboard: T20WC Final; PAK vs ENG
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: 7-1, 32-2, 45-3, 84-4, 132-5
Bowler: 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.
Brief Scores:
Pakistan: 137 for 8 in 20 overs (Shan Masood 38; Sam Curran 3/12).
England: 138 for 5 wickets in 19 overs (Ben Stokes 52 not out; Haris Rauf 2/23).
After 15 overs:
Pakistan are fighting and fighting extremely hard. In what could be a mouth-watering contest, thanks to Pakistan's impeccable fast bowling attack, England are on their toes at the moment. In the last span of five overs, England have lost one wicket in Harry Brook (20 runs from 23 balls) by Shadab Khan. Shaheen Afridi took a brilliant catch under pressure but in doing so, injured his leg. Ben Stokes (28 from 35 balls) and Moeen Ali (3 from 4 balls) are on the crease.
Partnership: 14(17)
Last Wkt: Harry Brook c Shaheen Afridi b Shadab Khan 20(23) - 84/4 in 12.3 ov.
Last 5 overs: 21 runs, 1 wkts
After 10 overs:
Harry Brook: 14(16)
Ben Stokes: 17(16)
Partnership: 32(27)
Last Wkt: Jos Buttler c Rizwan b Haris Rauf 26(17) - 45/3 in 5.3 ov.
Last 5 overs: 34 runs, 1 wkts
After powerplay (6 overs)
The game seems to be evenly poised with Pakistan striking three wickets. But a Jos Buttler (26 runs from 17 balls) show made sure that England are ahead in the run rate, although his wicket in the sixth over by Haris Rauf made sure Pakistan came back in the game strongly. Shaheen Shah Afridi struck in the first over, dismissing Alex Hales (1 off 2 balls) by an in-swinging yorker. Philip Salt (10 from 9 balls) started off well but couldn't hold on it for long giving away an easy catch while trying to pull a ball. Harry Brook and Ben Stokes are at the crease at the moment.
Harry Brook: 4 (3)
Ben Stokes: 1 (5)
Here's the innings report of Pakistan:
Brilliant Curran, gutsy Rashid restrict Pakistan to 137/8
Melbourne: England left-arm pacer Sam Curran and leg-spinner Adil Rashid put relentless pressure on the Pakistan batting line-up to restrict the opposition to a below-par 137 for eight in the T20 World Cup final here on Sunday. Curran, who made comeback from an injury earlier this year, has been England's go to' bowler in the competition and he proved that on the big stage with brilliant figures of 4-0-12-3.
The wily Rashid (4-1-22-2) wasn't going to be left far behind as he choked the run-flow in the middle overs with as many as 25 dot balls between him and Curran. Rashid, with his stupendous effort, time and again showed how the Indian team management bungled its script by letting Yuzvendra Chahal cool his heels throughout the tournament.
The MCG track had enough bounce and pace but Buttler's best performing bowling duo (Curran and Rashid) did exactly the opposite take the pace off their deliveries. Rashid flighted and lowered his pace to 75 kmph while Curran bowled between 126 kmph to 130 kmph which made run scoring difficult for the Pakistani batters.
Both Babar Azam (32 off 28 balls) and Mohammed Rizwan (15 off 14) started on a cautious note as they had been doing for the past one year. Curran, England's most consistent bowler in the tournament, angled one across at fuller length and Rizwan didn't have enough width to drive as he dragged that back to the stumps.
Mohammed Haris (8 off 12), the find of the tournament for Pakistan, generally struggled before Rashid ended his misery. He flighted one and enticed Haris to charge down the track but he was too close to the pitch of the delivery and was holed out at long-on.
Babar hit a couple of boundaries but as it has been for him generally, it was more of a struggle to keep the scoreboard alive. In fact, Shan Masood (38 off 28), who takes time before taking the attack back to the opposition camp, looked more aggressive than his skipper.
At the start of the back-10, when Jos Buttler introduced Liam Livingstone to bowl his off-breaks, Shan got 14 runs with a down the ground boundary and a six. But Babar at the other end was foxed by the guile of Rashid as he shaped to play the cut and found a googly cramping him for room to give a return catch to the English leg-spinner of Pakistani descent.
Iftikhar Ahmed (0) would like to forget the evening as he was kept under tight leash by Rashid and then Stokes bowled one in the channel to get a nick as Pakistan slumped to 85 for 4 in the 13th over. Shan would definitely curse himself as he built a launchpad for himself and thew it all away as Curran tested his patience with variations of cross seam deliveries and cutters.
The mistimed pull was easily taken at the mid-wicket boundary and Pakistan cricket's current darling Shadab Khan (20 off 14 balls) promised a lot but delivered too little.
Scoreboard of the T20 World Cup final between Pakistan and England:
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: 29-1, 45-2, 84-3, 85-4, 121-5, 123-6, 129-7, 131-8.
Bowler: 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.
Brief Score:
Pakistan: 137 for 8 in 20 overs (Shan Masood 38; Sam Curran 3/12)
Pakistan finish at 137-8 against England
After 15 overs:
Pakistan:
Shadab Khan: 10(8)
Shan Masood: 34(23)
Partnership: 21(16)
Last Wkt: Iftikhar Ahmed c Buttler b Stokes 0(6) - 85/4 in 12.2 ov.
Last 5 overs: 40 runs, 2 wkts
After 10 overs:
Time that Pakistan up the ante to set a challenging score for England. Pakistan have been good with doubles and singles but boundaries are required to win against the mighty batting of England. With Rizwan back in the hut, Mohammad Haris loss would hurt Pakistan. He tried steeping out and go for the maximum to Adil Rashid but was caught by Ben Stokes at long-on.
Pakistan:
Shan Masood 11(10)
Babar Azam 29(25)
After powerplay (6 overs)
A nervy start from both the teams with England's Ben Stokes bowling the first no ball from his team in the first over of the match. However, Sam Curran has been phenomenal giving away just five runs in 2 overs and dismissing Mohammad Rizwan, who scored 15 runs from 14 balls. Babar Azam and Mohammad Haris are on the crease at the moment. It can be argued that Pakistan have not had the fastest of starts but the pitch too comes in the equation with it being sticky where the ball is not comfortably coming onto the bat.
Pakistan:
Mohammad Haris 4(7)
Babar Azam 16(16)
Melbourne: England have won the toss on Sunday and opted to bowl against Pakistan in the final of the T20 World Cup here at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Here's what the captains had to say:
Babar: Would've also opted to bowl. We have good momentum with us and will try to continue with it. Same team.
Buttler: Going to bowl first. Both teams come into this final in red hot form. Looking forward to the challenge. Little bit of weather around which is why we chose to bowl. We start fresh today. Same team.
Teams:
Pakistan (Playing XI): Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi
England (Playing XI): Jos Buttler(w/c), Alex Hales, Philip Salt, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid
