AUSTRALIA: England are the new world champions. Ben Stokes’ match-winning innings of 52* runs and Sam Curran’s flawless bowling helped England win their second T20 World Cup. The English team became the first men’s side to hold both 50 and 20 over world cup titles at the same time.
Pakistan Innings
England won the toss and opted to field first. MCG saw a nervous start from Pakistan as England’s bowlers made excellent use of the conditions. Pakistan only managed to score 39 runs during the power play due to England’s tight bowling, which resulted in the early departure of Rizwan (15).
Pakistan was still unable to accelerate after the first half of the innings. In the game’s first ten overs, only 68 runs were scored. After the 15th over, Pakistan had a score of 106-3. The English bowlers put in a strong bowling performance.
Pakistan managed only 31 runs in the final five overs while losing four wickets. Pakistan finished with a score of 137-8. Sam Curran (3-12) and Moeen Ali (2-22) bowled some excellent overs.
Shan Masood (38) and Babar Azam (32) were the only significant scorers for Pakistan.
England Innings
The Pakistani bowlers showed some swing early in the innings. Alex (1) Hales and Jos Buttler (26), the match-winning players from the previous game, were among the three wickets that Pakistan took in the power play with an aggressive bowling strategy.
This altered the course of the game, as Pakistan narrowly prevailed in what had appeared to be a one-sided contest. By the time the power play was through, England’s final score was 49-3.
For England, runs were not a problem, but wickets were. Experienced guy Ben Stokes took on the duty to keep England moving and combined caution with a few occasional boundaries.
Pakistan put up a valiant fight, scoring a modest 137 runs, but in the end, the Masterclass of Stokes, helped by a cameo from Moeen Ali, outperformed the Pakistani attack.
Redeeming himself from the 2016 World Cup, Ben Stokes (52*) once again displayed unmatched brilliance. England won the well-deserved World Cup after defeating Pakistan by five wickets.
Also Read: India vs England T20 World Cup Semi-final Preview: The Battle for White-ball Supremacy
