England became the first team to be world champions in ODI and T20 at the same time. The final was completed in clear weather despite the weather forecast calling for rain in Melbourne on Sunday and Monday. They lost the final in 2016 and won the title in 2010. In 2019, they became ODI champions by dramatically beating New Zealand.
Ben Stokes and Sam Curran have starred as England edged Pakistan to win the Twenty20 World Cup and become the sport's first dual white-ball champions, holding both the 50- and 20-over titles.
Jos Buttler's side held Pakistan to 137-8 on Sunday in front of a partisan 80,462 fans at a heaving Melbourne Cricket Ground before Stokes's unbeaten 52 steered them to a five-wicket victory with six balls remaining.
In reply, England slumped to 49-3 in the sixth over as they struggled to get any momentum against a fiery pace attack, with boundaries hard to come by.
But Stokes (52 not out) and Moeen Ali (19) used their experience and cool heads to guide England to 138-5 with six balls to spare, climaxing a riveting tournament that spanned 45 games over nearly a month.
The victory added to the 50-over title England won in 2019, building on the legacy of former captain Eoin Morgan, who retired this year after transforming the team into a white-ball juggernaut.
Stokes does it again!
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) November 13, 2022
Congratulations to England, #T20WorldCup Champions!
Iconic moments like this will be available as officially licensed ICC digital collectibles with @0xFanCraze.
Visit https://t.co/EaGDgPxPzl today to see if this could be a Crictos of the Game. pic.twitter.com/ph8NAbaLy9
It was England's second T20 crown after tasting success in 2010, joining the West Indies as the only two-time winners since the tournament's inception in 2007.
The game was billed as a showdown between Pakistan's attack and England's top order, and Shaheen Afridi bowled danger man Alex Hales in the first over of the run chase.
But that only fired up Buttler who smashed two boundaries off Naseem Shah. Phil Salt, playing in place of the injured Dawid Malan, didn't last, making just 10 before pulling Haris Rauf to Iftikhar Ahmed
The ball was swinging and seaming and the menacing Rauf claimed the key wicket of Buttler just as he was getting in, edging to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan on 26 off 17 balls.
The runs dried up and Harry Brook needed treatment for a blow to his elbow but he soldiered on as they reached 77-3 at the halfway point of the innings, compared to Pakistan's 68-2.
Brook came undone on 20 against the spin of Shadab Khan, holing out to Afridi as he tried to get the scoreboard moving. It came down to needing 41 runs off the final five overs.
Stokes relieved the pressure with a four and a six off Ahmed and there was no stopping them with the England all-rounder hitting the winning runs.
READ ALSO:
🔘TURKEY: ‘vile attack’ 6 killed, 53 injured as major blast rocks Istanbul
🔘Extension of the short term visiting visa for parents of non European workers in Ireland
