T20 World Cup 2022

'They won because of Dhoni'- Emotions riding high on Twitter as England win 20-20 World Cup 2022 final

author-image
Rennie
New Update
England vs Pakistan

England vs Pakistan: (Image Source: Twitter)

England vs Pakistan England vs Pakistan: (Image Source: Twitter)

England have won their second 20-20 World Cup title after beating Pakistan in the final of the 20-20 World Cup 2022 at Melbourne Cricket Stadium on Sunday. Ben Stokes played an unbeaten knock of 52 runs in 49 balls to help the team chase down a 138-run target in 20 overs.

Pakistan’s fast bowlers bowled their hearts out in the powerplay while defending a below-par score. Shaheen Afridi had Hales with a beautiful in-swinger, while Rauf sent Salt back in the 3rd over. Buttler was taking the game away, at the other end, but Rauf had him as well in the 6th over to drag Pakistan back into the game. At the end of the first six over, England were 3 down for 49 runs.

However, Ben Stokes, the man for the big games, wasn’t willing to get out and stayed there till the end. He kept the scoreboard ticking and played an unbeaten match-winning knock of 52 runs in 49 balls to guide his side home.

The Unfortunate Moment in the Game

Wickets falling at the other end meant Pakistan were in the game till the very end. 41 runs were needed in the last 30 balls and Shaheen Afridi had 2 overs remaining to bowl. However, what followed was a completely unfortunate incident for both Afridi and Pakistan. The first ball he bowled, Afridi was limping and, eventually, had to be taken off the field.

Iftikhar Ahmed bowled the remaining five deliveries and Stokes smashed him for a four and a six on the final two deliveries in the over. It turned the game completely. Moeen Ali then smashed Wasim for three fours in the 17th over to leave the equation down to 12 needed off the final 18 balls.

A Lackluster Batting Performance from Pakistan

Earlier, Pakistan were restricted to a below-par score of 137 runs on the board in the first innings. Rizwan and Babar Azam got off to a poor start and Rizwan, eventually, fell to Sam Curran in the 4th over. Babar Azam, on the other hand, was trying to get the innings going.

At the end of the first six overs, Pakistan had scored 39 runs for the loss of Rizwan. Harris, who has had a good tournament so far, couldn’t get going either and, eventually, fell to Adil Rashid in the 8th over of the innings. Pakistan needed someone to up the ante as they had managed only 68 runs in the first 10 overs, courtesy of a sensational bowling display from English bowlers.

Masood then smacked Livingstone for a four and six in the 11th over but Rashid struck again as he sent Babar back with a googly. Wickets kept falling, thereafter, as Pakistan failed to stitch big partnerships.

Shan Masood, however, held firm and registered a solid knock of 38 runs in 22 balls before Sam Curran sent him back as well in the 17th over. England’s all-rounder finished with figures of 3 for 12 in 4 overs in a final of the World Cup, helping his team restrict Pakistan to a well-below-par score.

Twitter abuzz after the England's win. Here's a look at some of the reactions: 

 

20-20 World Cup 2022 Ben Stokes 20-20 World Cup