By Sourit Sanyal
The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 is officially over with England lifting their second World T20 title at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) after beating Pakistan by six wickets. With the victory, England join West Indies as the joint record winners of the ICC T20 World Cup title, winning the coveted title twice (first back in West Indies, 2010).
Here's how England lifted their second World T20 title at the MCG in an intense fixture that saw a neck-to-neck fight until the end for the ICC T20 World Cup trophy.
English Dominance In The First Inning
Under the overcast skies of Melbourne, Jos Buttler won the toss for England and opted to bowl first in the finals. The English bowling maintained its tight grip during the powerplay overs, making the Pakistani batters struggle for runs. Sam Curran made the crucial breakthrough for England after bowling out Muhammad Rizwan for 15 runs.
Pakistan stood at 39-1 after the end of the powerplay. Babar Azam kept his ground, but England continued to add pressure on the Pakistani batsmen. Mohammad Haris was soon dismissed by Adil Rashid. At the halfway mark of the first inning, Pakistan was 68-2
Rashid struck again, this time getting the vital wicket of the Pakistani skipper who returned to the pavilion after getting out at 32. Shan Masood continued building a competitive target for the Falcons. Iftikhar Ahmed was dismissed by Ben Stokes for a duck.
Pakistan soon lost the wicket of the in-form Shan Masood and Shadab Khan and stood at 123/6. The English bowling lineup led by Sam Curran continued to exert pressure and kept Pakistan at bay, ending the 20 overs at 137/8.
Sam Curran also recorded the best bowling figure in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup finals, getting 3/12 in four overs.
Also Read: How England Beat India To Setup Pakistan Clash In The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Finals
Pakistan's Strike in The Powerplay
Prior to the second beginning, the Pakistani bowlers were in a pressurizing spot to defend their score and restrict England from winning the final. Shaheen Shah Afridi provided the ideal start to Pakistan's defence, bowling out Alex Hales.
Haris Rauf struck twice with the important wickets of Phil Salt and English skipper Jos Buttler. England were 49-3 after the end of the powerplay.
Ben Stokes took charge of the run-chase alongside Harry Brook.
Also Read: How Pakistan Beat New Zealand To Qualify For The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Finals
The Ben Stokes Show
The English all-rounder had narrow escapes but kept his ground and continued England's run-chase. Harry Brook was dismissed at 20 by Shadab Khan, paving the way for Moeen Ali to join Stokes at the crease.
Ali was bowled out at 19 by Mohammad Wasim but England's run-chase was edging towards the end. Ben Stokes completed a crucial half-century and hit the winning runs for England to secure their victory in the finals against Pakistan by five wickets.
Ben Stokes' unbeaten 52-run knock helped England clinch their second ICC T20 World Cup. They first won the World T20 title 12 years ago in the West Indies, 2010, where the Three Lions defeated Australia by seven wickets.
Sam Curran took home the Player of the Match award for his 3/12 bowling spell.
The jury also handed him the Player of the Tournament award for his title-winning campaign with England during the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 where the 24-year-old picked 13 wickets.
