Ben Stokes scored an unbeaten 52 to steer England to a five-wicket win over Pakistan in the final at Melbourne. Earlier, England restricted Pakistan to 137/7, with Sam Curran bagging 3/12. England have become the first team to hold the 50-over World Cup and 20-over World Cup at the same time. Here’s how it happened...
Pakistan out of luck
Pakistan gave England a tough time in a low scoring thriller as the mighty English batters had to work hard to chase the target of 138 in 19 overs with five wickets. Pakistan were out of luck today as their match winning pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi got injured and could not bowl his last two overs. England batters Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali got the full benefit of the situation and comfortably completed the run chase. Pakistan were definitely short of at least 20 runs today.
Fifty for Ben Stokes as England win World Cup
England’s cricket Superman Ben Stokes scored his first T20I half-century, and that has taken England to a five-wicket victory in the World Cup final against Pakistan. England are 138/5 in 19 overs.
England beat Pakistan by 5 wickets
England beat Pakistan by five wickets in an outstanding final at the MCG. Ben Stokes leads the win with a superb 52 in 49 balls.
Out! Moeen Ali is yorked
It's not over yet. Moeen Ali is bowled with a perfect yorker from Mohammed Wasim Junior in the 19th over. England are 132/5, require 6 runs in 10 balls
Two balls that changed the final
With Shaheen Afridi hobbling off the field with a knee injury in the 16th over, captain Babar Azam turned to the part-time off-spin of Iftikhar Ahmed. Ben Stokes failed to middle a shot, but he crashed a four and a six off the next two balls. And the floodgates opened. England are 126/4 in 17 overs. They need 12 runs from 18 balls.
Afridi walks off injured
Big blow for Pakistan as Shaheen Shah Afridi walks off the field as his knee injury worsens after delivering the first ball of the 16th over.
15 overs: The final is going down to the wire
The final is still in the balance. It’s still anybody’s game. Haris Rauf’s cranking it up and England can’t shake off the shackles. They are 97/4 in 15 overs. 41 needed from 30 balls.
Last five decisive overs
Last five decisive overs. Shaheen Shah Afridi back into attack. Pakistan need wickets to win this match.
Out! Brook is caught
Harry Brook falla to Shadab Khan. Shaheen Afridi caught him inside the boundary line. Brook 20 (23) tried to hit big but there was not enough power in the shot to clear the long boundary. England: 84/4
Naseem Shah turns up the heat
What an over from Naseem Shah! He repeatedly beat the bat of the Harry Brook and Ben Stokes with high-speed outswingers. Earlier, he had given Jos Buttler the same treatment. He’s a bit unlucky. Pakistan need a slice of luck as England are inching to the target with 82/3 off 12 overs
In search of some magic
Pakistan bowlers need a magical spell to get England players out. England are comfortably placed with 61 runs to score in 60 balls: a task that looks easy if they do not lose wickets. Pakistan will have to bowl them out to win this match. England will win if they bat till the end.
10 overs: England scoring dips
The departure of Jos Buttler has had a significant effect on England scoring. Runs are coming in a trickle, and Shadab Khan’s leg-breaks and googlies have added to England’s discomfort. Pakistan need a couple of wickets to tighten the screws as England try to wriggle out of a tough situation. England are 77/3 in 10 overs
6 overs: England plunge into trouble
Jos Buttler's is a huge wicket. The England captain could take the game away easily, making it a major breakthrough. Haris Rauf gets him, edging behind. But it resulted from Naseem Shah’s hardwork: he beat Buttler’s four times in the previous over. That set up Buttler’s wicket for Rauf. This has opened up the game, and Pakistan are in control. England are 49/3 at the end of the powerplay.
Big wicket! Rauf strikes
Buttler is out for 26 (17 balls). Haris Rauf strikes again. Buttler edged to wicketkeeper Rizwan who did not make any mistake. Pakistan are back in the game, England 45/3
Pakistan are back in the game
Two England wickets in the powerplay have hauled Pakistan back into the game. Pacers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf have done the damage. England are ahead of the run rate, but two wickets in under 4 overs will worry them. Time for Pakistan to turn up the heat as England are 32/2 off 4 overs.
Out! Salt falls
Haris Rauf strikes. Philip Salt 10 (9 balls) is caught by Iftikhar Ahmed. England lose the second wicket but they are ahead of the required run rate. Getting them out is the only way for Pakistan to win this match. England: 32/2 in the fourth over
England keep up the tempo despite losing Hales
England batters aren’t taking too many chances against Shaheen Shah Afridi. Instead, they are taking on Naseem Shah, who yielded three boundaries in his first over. Pakistan will have to keep it tight to pressure England, who will keep an eye on the DLS scores as there have been a drizzle.
Out! Afridi strikes
The dangerous Alex Hales is bowled by Afridi. England are 7/1 in the first over. Game on!
Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi takes on England's Alex Hales and Jos Buttler.
Advantage England, Pakistan pull up short
England turned in a brilliant bowling performance, as left-arm seamer Sam Curran returned with 3/12 after leggie Adil Rashid (2/22) made the early incisions. Chris Jordan (2/27) closed out the slog so well that Pakistan finished with an under-par total of 137/8. That may not be enough to test the powerful batting of England. Skipper Babar Azam will want his fast bowlers to grab early wickets to make a match out of the final. Until then, it’s advantage England.
England need 138 to win
After a steady start in the powerplay, Pakistan batters failed to build a decent partnership as England bowlers – both pacers and spinners – bowled with great discipline restricting Pakistan to 137/8. England bowlers never allowed Pakistan batters to score freely. Pakistan’s middle-order batters fail to stand up in the big match. Now it all boils down to the Pakistan pace battery, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi. Pakistan needs a miracle to win this match.
Out! Wasim is caught
Wasim is caught by Livingstone off Jordan. He took third catch of the innings. Complete batting collapse for Pakistan in the slog overs. Pakistan 132/8
Out! Nawaz falls to Curran
This time Mohammad Nawaz (5) is caught by Liam Livingstone off pacer Sam Curran. The middle-order batting collapses for Pakistan again. Pakistan 130/7
It’s slog time at the MCG
Pakistan’s quest for quick runs was stopped in its tracks by the dismissal of Shan Masood. Sam Curran again proves his utility as a death bowler. Now, Shadab Khan has to take the gauntlet. And he does, only to hack a catch off Chris Jordan. That puts Pakistan’s hopes of a big score in jeopardy as there are two new batters at the crease. They are 122/6 in 17 overs.
Out! Jordan stops Shadab Khan
Shadab Khan (20 of 14 ball) falls while trying to hit big. He is caught by Woakes off pacer Jordan. Now. the game is in the hands of the tailenders. Pakistan are 126/6 in the 18th over.
Out! Shan Masood exits
Well-set batter Shan Masood 38 (28) is caught by Liam Livingstone off left-arm pacer Sam Curran who has again proven to be a difficult bowler to hit in the slog overs. Pakistan 121/5 in 17th over
Shan Masood leads Pakistan charge
Left-hander Shan Masood has been looking for boundaries, and Pakistan will need Shadab Khan to get some quick runs. Pakistan need at least 10 per over, or they will end up with an under-par score. Pakistan are 119/4 in 16 overs.
A partnership for Pakistan
Good going for Pakistan with Shah Masood and Shadab Khan taking on the England bowling. They need to score another 60 to 70 runs in the last five overs to make a match of it. Pakistan 107/4 in 15 overs
Pressure is the name of the game
Big game, big crowd, big pressure. That seemed to have done Iftikhar Ahmed in. He walked in at 84/3, with Pakistan poorly placed in the scoring rate. That’s a pressure situation, and Iftikhar could only nibble at a Ben Stokes delivery. Pakistan are in big trouble. But Shan Masood is looking good, and Shadab Khan must play positively to lift Pakistan, who are 90/4 in 13 overs.
Out! Iftikhar scores a duck
Iftikhar edges and is caught behind the wicket by Buttler off pacer Stokes without scoring. Is it the beginning of another Pakistan middle-order batting collapse? Shan Masood and Shadab Khan must build a partnership to rescue Pakistan, who are 88/4 in 13th over
Adil Rashid, the dangerman
Adil Rashid is no magician, but the leg-spinner’s control is so valuable in white-ball cricket. He flummoxed Pakistan skipper Babar Azam with a googly to get a return catch. Azam is an excellent player of spin, and to dismiss him in this fashion speaks about Rashid’s skill. The fall of Azam would slow Pakistan, who were stepping up the pace with 16 runs from the previous over from Liam Livingstone, with Shan Masood hammering a four and a six. Pakistan are 84/3 in 12 overs
Out! Big loss for Pakistan
Captain Babar Azam is caught and bowled by Adil Rashid. Pakistan 84/3 in 12th over.
Slow going for Pakistan
The loss of Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Haris seemed to have put a bridle on Pakistan scoring. Skipper Babar Azam (29 off 25 balls) is timing the ball better, and Shan Masood (11) has looked to raise the tempo. But England bowlers continue to bowl tight lines, giving little away. The pressure is on Pakistan, who are 68/2 in 10 overs
Time to accelerate for Pakistan
Babar Azam and Shan Masood have handled the dangerous spinner Adil Rashid well with some cautious batting. They need to accelerate to score at least 100-110 runs in the last 10 overs of the match to secure a competitive total of 170 plus. Pakistan should achieve this target as they have plenty of batting power in the dugout
Big setback for Pakistan
The fall of Mohammad Haris was a significant setback for Pakistan’s hopes for acceleration. The youngster’s aggressive shot-making has been a feature of recent Pakistan wins. England leggie Adil Rashid tempted him with a tossed-up delivery, and Haris took the bait. Pakistan are 50/2 in 8 overs
Out! Haris falls to Rashid
Mohammad Haris is caught by Stokes off Adil Rashid. Pakistan in trouble 45/2 in 8th over.
Haris could not take the pressure of the big match and threw his wicket cheaply while trying to hit the best England spinner Adil Rashid.
Left-handed batter Shan Masood is at the crease now. Pakistan needs to consolidate innings with a big partnership. Babar needs to anchor the innings to ensure a competitive total. Pakistan 50/2 in 8 overs
English players wear black armbands
All England cricketers at the MCG are wearing black armbands to pay respect to David English, one of the leading figures in English cricket, who passed away aged 76. An actor, cricketer, writer and charity fundraiser, English is known for his charity, Bunbury cricket festival. Many England cricketers playing at the MCG would have played in the festival.
No power in the powerplay
Pakistan did not do well in the powerplay with only 39-1. Rizwan was bowled by Sam Curran while trying to hit big. England bowlers kept it tight and straight and did not allow Pakistani batters to hit freely.
They managed to bat through the first 6 overs losing only one wicket. Babar Azam does not look in great touch as he was unable to hit clean in the first four overs. Pakistan need to accelerate the run rate.
Out! Rizwan is bowled
Mohammad Rizwan is bowled by left-arm pacer Curran. First blow to Pakistan 29/1 in fifth over. Pakistan's new batting sensation Harif Rauf comes in at number 3. Will he be able to perform today?
First sign of aggression from Pakistan
Mohammad Rizwan picks a slower delivery from Chris Woakes and deposits it over the square leg fence. Pakistan take 12 from the over. More importantly, they are not bogged down. Pakistan are 28/0 in 4 overs
A nervy first over
A no-ball to start from Ben Stokes, followed by a wide. A missed run-out chance by Chris Jordan: Mohammad Rizwan would have been out, if there was a direct hit. It’s all happening at the MCG.
They are away
Skipper Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan are on the crease to open the batting for Pakistan in what is predicted to be an electrifying final. They must stand up today to the occasion to score big to set a competitive total for the mighty England batting.
While the reigning 50-over world champions England look to win a second T20 World Cup title after their 2010 triumph, Pakistan is looking at defeating England at the MCG again to repeat the 1992 World Cup win.
Here we go!
Full house at the MCG!
England win the toss and opt to bowl
Both teams are unchanged from the previous games. No sign of Dawid Malan and Mark Wood for England, which means they remain on the injured list.
The teams:
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
England: Jos Buttler (captain & wicketkeeper), Alex Hales, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, and Adil Rashid.
England face Pakistan in what could be a thriller
Shyam A. Krishna, Senior Associate Editor
The similarity between 1992 and 2022 is inescapable. Thirty years after Pakistan won the ODI World Cup, they square off against England in Melbourne again. History may weigh heavily on Pakistan, but Babar Azam’s team are brimming with talent to tide over the pressure points in the game. All eyes will be on Shaheen Shah Afridi to reprise Wasim Akram’s role.
Jos Buttler-led England have no such worries. They are ODI World Cup champions and will be keen to add the T20 World Cup to the mantelpiece. England have been a top-notch side in white-ball cricket since 2015, and this team are no different. When teams of such high calibre clash, it’s difficult to pick the winners. As always in T20 cricket, the team that handle pressure better will win.
Stokes to play key role again?
Pakistan fans, make some noise!
Who will win the T20 World Cup?
