MELBOURNE: Ben Stokes and Sam Curran starred as England edged Pakistan to win the Twenty20 World Cup on Sunday 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 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.
Sam Curran starred with impressive bowling figures of 3/12 as England bowlers ran through the batting line to restrict Pakistan to 137/8.
Leg spinner Adil Rashid spun out young sensation Mohammad Haris and skipper Babar Azam before Sam Curran and Chris Jordan wreaked havoc at the death, jointly offering just 18 runs while taking four wickets in the last four overs.
Pakistan managed to score 137 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final after being put in to bat first by England skipper Jos Buttler on Sunday.
Captain Babar Azam (32) and Shan Masood (38) made starts but England’s bowlers never let the South Asians settle and wickets tumbled in the final overs as they crumbled to finish on 137 for eight.
Earlier, England, who were again without injured batsman Dawid Malan and pace bowler Mark Wood, won the toss and sent Pakistan into bat.
Ben Stokes was given the new ball and Pakistan were lucky to survive the over intact, with a nervy Mohammad Rizwan almost run out going for a risky single.
If Chris Jordan’s throw had been a direct hit he would have been gone. Rizwan and Azam shared a century partnership in the semi-final against New Zealand and soon settled, with Rizwan clearing the ropes off Chris Woakes for the first six of the night in the fourth over.
But another big stand wasn’t to be, with Rizwan dragging a delivery from Curran on to his stumps on 15. Pakistan, who powered past New Zealand by seven wickets to make the final, managed just 39-1 off the six-over powerplay, where only two fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle.
The introduction of Rashid soon after reaped an immediate reward with Haris (8) attacking him on his first ball only to sky a simple catch to Stokes. Azam led Pakistan to 68-2 at the halfway point of the innings and then Masood began swinging the bat, hitting a four and six off Liam Livingstone.
But once again Rashid got the breakthrough, pulling off a diving catch from his own bowling to claim the vital wicket of Azam, whose 32 came off 28 balls. Iftikhar Ahmed only lasted six balls before Masood and Shadab Khan (20) fell in the space of two runs as Curran and Chris Jordan kept the lid on any hope Pakistan had of a late flurry.