Pakistani bowlers fought back brilliantly despite a low score which ultimately cost Pakistan the T20 World Cup against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 13.
Ben Stokes inspired England to a five-wicket victory in a low-scoring match. England bowled and fielded well on Sunday to restrict Pakistan to 137 for 8 wickets on a tricky and bouncy Melbourne track.
It was an emphatic triumph for England over Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Cricket Final with a match-winning performance by Ben Stokes. “He always stands up in the biggest moments,” said Buttler, who became only the third Englishman to lift a cricket World Cup.
Stokes himself paid tribute to England’s bowlers who restricted Pakistan to 137 for eight after England had won the toss. “The way people like Sam Curran and Adil Rashid bowled won us the World Cup. To restrict them to 130 odd, the bowlers have to take a lot of credit.”
Shaheen could’ve made things different
England needed 41 off 29 balls when Shaheen Afridi walked off the field for a second time due to an injury picked up in the act of catching Harry Brook in the deep.
After returning to the field in the 15th over, Shaheen pulled up again. and had to walk off after. just one ball into his third over, greatly upsetting Pakistan’s plans.
“Bowlers did a decent in the middle overs but Shaheen’s injury cost us,” Babar said in the post-match press conference. “It could’ve been a different result [had Shaheen stayed on]. So disappointed.”
“The fight in the bowling was good,” Babar stressed when asked to identify which part of the match affected Pakistan the most. “Shaheen being there could’ve made things different,” he added.
ICC Player of the Tournament
England’s 24-year-old left-arm bowler Sam Curran was named the ICC Player of the Tournament after his superb performance throughout the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.