ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Final, PAK vs ENG: Twitter erupts as Stokes powers England to second title triumph

ICC T20 World Cup 2022: England overpowered Pakistan by five wickets in the final in Melbourne on Sunday, thanks to Ben Stokes' classy knock of unbeaten 52. Consequently, Twitter has erupted.

Ayush Gupta

First Published Nov 13, 2022, 5:27 PM IST | Last Updated Nov 13, 2022, 5:27 PM IST

History does not repeat itself every time. Former champion Pakistan learned it firmly after it was outlasted by England in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup Final at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday. While the rain gods decided to be kind and let the all-important final unfold, Ben Stokes played a gem of a knock with his bat after pacer Sam Curran aided the side with the ball, handing the Three Lions their second T20WC title. As a result, the English joined the Windies in becoming the joint most successful side in the tournament, while Twitter erupted.

Winning the toss, English skipper Jos Buttler opted to field, considering the overcast and breezy conditions, while both sides moved in with an unchanged playing XI from the semis. Pakistan began restless, losing Mohammad Rizwan (15) in the fifth over of the PowerPlay, cleaned up by pacer Sam Curran, with 29 runs on the board.

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Also, Mohammad Haris (8) departed to leg-spinner Adil Rashid in the eighth, 16 runs later. However, skipper-cum-opener Babar Azam (32) and Shan Masood(38) added a 39-run stand for the third wicket before the same man in the 12th dismissed the former. With Iftikhar Ahmed (0) falling to pacer Ben Stokes in the 13th, a run later, a 36-run partnership ensued between Masood and Shadab Khan (20) before the latter departed to Curran in the 17th.

Thereon, the Men in Green lost quick wickets and finished on a below-par total of 137/8, with Curran seizing three for the Three Lions, besides being the most economical of all. During the chase, the English began uneasy, losing three for 45 by the sixth over of the PP.

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A 39-run partnership occurred between Stokes (45*) and Harry Brook (20) to stabilise England's chase before the latter fell to leg-spinner Shadab Khan in the 13th. Nevertheless, the Three Lions refused to panic, as Stokes and Moeen Ali (19) contributed to a decisive 48-run stand to edge their side closer to success.

At 132, Moeen was the fifth man to be dismissed, cleaned up by pacer Mohammad Wasim Jr in the 19th. Nonetheless, it was too late, as Stokes hit the winning run in the last ball of the same over to get the job done by five wickets. For the Men in Green, pacer Haris Rauf held a couple, while Shadab was economical.
Brief scores: PAK 137/8 (Azam- 32, Masood- 38; Curran- 3/12) lost to ENG 138/5 in 19 overs (Stokes- 52; Rauf- 2/23) by five wickets.

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