T20 WC 2022, Final, ENG v PAK: Curran's 3-12, Stokes' 52* help England avenge 1992 loss in Melbourne
ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022, Final, England vs Pakistan: Sam Curran's 3-12, Ben Stokes' 52* and Adil Rashid's 2-22 are top performances as England beat Pakistan in final and avenge 1992 loss in Melbourne. England win the T20 World Cup for the 2nd time.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 137/8 (Masood 38, Azam 32, Curran 3/12) lost to England 138/5 (Stokes 52*, Buttler 26, Rauf 2/23) by 5 wickets
Player of the Match & Tournament: Sam Curran (3/12 in the final & 13 wickets in the tournament at an economy rate of 6.52 and strike rate of 10.4)
Two former T20 World Cup champions - England and Pakistan - took on each other in the much-awaited final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on Sunday. The stadium was a jam-packed one on the occasion of the marquee game as expected, and the men in green had the maximum support.
England came on top in what was a low-scoring final by a margin of 5 wickets, courtesy some splendid performances by Sam Curran and Ben Stokes with ball and ball respectively.
Head-to-Head: Prior to this game, England and Pakistan had faced each other 28 times in a T20I game with England being the dominant team in this rivalry. They led Pakistan by a margin of 18-9 and they also recently won a bilateral 7-match T20I series against the same opponents in Pakistan by a margin of 4-3. This series was held just days before this world cup.
England’s batting prowess takes them over the line
The major talking point of the final has to be England’s approach to the chase on the big night. The natural big-hitters of the ball kept their aggression in check after losing 3 wickets in the powerplay, and Stokes undertook a calculative pursuit to the chase with a measured knock of 52* off 49 deliveries. Credit should be given to Pakistan bowlers for their spirited show, but the total of 137 they were fending was a below par one, in all earnest.
England’s death bowling was at it again in this tournament, and they gave away only 31 runs in the last 5 overs.
Pakistan openers disappoint yet again
England skipper Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to bowl first, just like they did a few days back against India in their semi-final clash. Pakistan’s prolific openers - Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam - had a sedate start as was the case right through the tournament with the exception of Pakistan’s encounter against New Zealand in the first semi-final at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Sam Curran removed Mohammad Rizwan in the 5th over of the game, when the latter dragged one back onto the stumps, and Pakistan ended the powerplay, scoring a paltry 39 runs for the loss of one wicket.
Read More: T20 WC 2022, Semi-Final 2, IND v ENG: India succumb to humiliating 10-wicket defeat