After progressing through the semi-finals earlier in the week, Pakistan packed out the 90,000 capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground to face off against the tournament favourites and form side, England. Pakistan was sent in to bat first where eventual man of the match and player of the tournament, Sam Curran, produced an excellent display with the ball, removing dangerous opener Mohammed Rizwan and achieved exceptional figures of 3-12 off four overs. The main star of England’s bowling effort, though, was their ever-reliable leg spinner, Adil Rashid. Rashid removed Pakistan captain and talisman, Babar Azam, for thirty-two, setting the platform for England to hold Pakistan to a seemingly below-par 137 off twenty overs.
This run-chase never seemed straight-forward, though. The brilliant Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled England’s semi-final hero, Alex Hales, with an absolute beauty in the first over, placing the run chase at the door of England’s misfiring middle order. When Harry Brook was removed by the excellent Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf knocked over skipper, Jos Buttler, momentum appeared to be shifting in favour of Pakistan as the jubilant crowd became aware of the change in dynamic. In a state of panic, though, who do England cricket fans turn to each and every time? Of course, it is Ben Stokes. As he strode out to the crease in Melbourne, yet to score an international T20 half-century, it seemed like England’s hopes once again rested on his broad shoulders. It certainly was not vintage Stokes as he went about his work and built his innings but gradually the chaotic atmosphere in the crowd was diluted as Stokes and Moeen Ali took the sting out of the Pakistani attack.
Then came the ultimate game changing moment
Then came the ultimate game changing moment. With forty-one runs needed from thirty balls and the superb Shaheen limiting Stokes and Moeen to just singles, the left-arm paceman suffered a cruel injury whilst fielding that forced Babar Azam to change his bowling tactics at the crunch stage of the run chase. Shaheen still had two overs left in his spell, leaving him to bowl two out of the final five overs. His injury, though meant they were forced to turn to batting all-rounder, Iftikhar Ahmed to fill the next over. Stokes saw this as the opportunity to attack and there are few better to have ever played the game at reading the situation than the man at the crease. Stokes took to Ahmed, striking thirteen off the over and placed the equation at under a run a ball. Moeen then controlled the finale, hitting three boundaries in a matter of balls to all but crown England world champions. Even after Mohammad Wasim removed him in the nineteenth over, the damage was well and truly done, and Stokes struck the ball into the leg side in the final over to secure victory and, in doing so, his maiden T20I half century.
It meant that England crowned a turbulent few months of white ball cricket, with a complete overhaul in leadership, with a World Cup triumph to add their 2019 and 2010 trophies. In the end, it was fully deserved for Buttler’s side and once again it seems England one-day cricket is in safe hands.