T20 World Cup: England beat Pakistan to win pulsating final in Melbourne
England beat Pakistan by five wickets in a pulsating final in Melbourne to win the Men’s T20 World Cup for a second time.
Chasing 138 in front of a febrile Pakistan-supporting crowd, they fell to 45-3 and 84-4 amid electric fast bowling.
But, under intense pressure at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, Ben Stokes wrote himself further into the folklore of English cricket by ending on 52 not out.
He was there at the end, as he was in the 2019 50-over World Cup final three years ago, as this current white-ball side provided another of English cricket’s greatest wins.
As the equation tightened, Stokes capitalised on a cruel injury to Pakistan left-armer Shaheen Afridi and took England to victory with six balls to spare.
The win, thanks in large part to a superb bowling performance from Sam Curran and Adil Rashid, means England become the first team to hold the men’s 20 and 50-over world titles.
