Jos Buttler and co. won the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday as they overcame a spirited Pakistan side by 5 wickets. Here is how the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground unfolded. (Image: AP)
With rain expected to play spoilsport, Jos Buttler put Pakistan into bat. Luckily the weather Gods remained kind. The Men in Green started cautiously but confidently, with skipper Babar Azam (32) and Mohammad Rizwan (15) giving their side a 29-run opening stand. (Image: AP)
But the Player of the Match and Tournament, Sam Curran (3/12) arrived at the big stage with a bang by cleaning up Rizwan! The left-arm pacer was brilliant at the death as well as he scalped Shan Masood (28) and Mohammad Nawaz (5) in quick succession to peg Pakistan back. (Image: AP)
Adil Rashid again made his presence felt with superb figures of 2/22. He took the prized wicket of Babar, when he looked absolutely settled and stemmed the run flow in the middle. (Image: AP)
Masood top-scored for Pakistan with 38 as he stitched valuable partnerships with Babar first and then with Shadab Khan (20). But due to some tight bowling and good fielding, Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals. (Image: AP)
Runs were dried toward the end as Chris Jordan (2/27) and Co. put brakes on Pakistan's scoring. Before the four in the last over, Pakistan went without a single boundary for more than four overs and that showed in their final score of 137/8 in 20 overs. (Image: AP)
But Pakistan were not going down without a fight! Shaheen Shah Afridi (1/13) struck in the very first over of England innings as Alex Hales was cleaned up for 1. (Image: AP)
However, Buttler went on the rampage as he counterattacked and scored a quickfire 26 off 17.(Image: AP)
But Haris Rauf (2/23) scalped Buttler and Phil Salt (10) in quick succession to put England on the backfoot at 45/3. The pacer was breathing fire at the 'G' as towards the end also, he bowled his heart out and produced economical overs to keep his side in the hunt.(Image: AP)
Shadab Khan (1/20) ended the 39-run partnership between Ben Stokes (52* off 49) and Harry Brook (20). But the catch Afridi took at long-off injured him. The untimely injury to the star pacer meant that he could bowl just one ball when he returned to bowl and had to hobble out of the park. That was a key moment in the game! (Image: AP)
Stokes capitalised on that as he smacked Iftikhar Ahmed, who completed Afridi's over, for a four and a six off the last two balls to change the momentum of the match. Stokes and Moeen Ali (19) put together a quick 48-run stand to put England in the driver's seat. (Image: AP)
Although Moeen was bowled in the last over off an inside edge, Stokes remained there till the end to take England to victory. He hit his first T20I fifty and what better time to do that! England won the match by 5 wickets and now hold both ODI and T20 World Cups at the same time. Kings of limited-overs cricket! (Image: AP)