Pakistan faced a five-wicket defeat to England in the final of the T20 World Cup on Sunday, as the side's hopes of repeating the 1992 ODI World Cup heroics shattered in Melbourne. England chased down a 138-run target with an over to spare as all-rounder Ben Stokes produced a match-winning performance, remaining unbeaten on 52 off 49 deliveries to secure a second World Cup title for England. Jos Buttler invited Pakistan to bat after winning the toss in Melbourne, and the men in green endured an early setback when Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed on 15. Pakistan scored 39 at the end of the Power play. The onus was on captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Harris to stabilize the innings; however, the latter took on Adil Rashid in the bowler's very first delivery in the game and was caught at long-on.
Pakistan lost wickets in key intervals, as they could only reach 137/8 in 20 overs. Following the loss, Pakistan's pacer Mohammad Amir severely criticized the side, insisting that he “knew” the result won't favour the side.
(People think I'm criticizing, but I'm talking with my cricketing sense. We played the final, that's enough. We didn't deserve to be here. Everyone knows how we reached so far),” Amir said.
Amir seemingly referred to how Pakistan reached the semi-final of the T20 World Cup; after losing their first two matches against India and Zimbabwe, Pakistan had to eventually hope for South Africa to drop points on the final match-day of Group 2 in the Super 12 stage. Incredibly, the Netherlands stunned the Protease by 13 runs, allowing Pakistan an easier path to the semis. The Babar-led side then defeated Bangladesh in their last group match and cruised past New Zealand in the semis to seal a final berth.
(You see our batsmen's stats, you will know. I said earlier that outside Sydney, they would struggle, and that's what happened. I told you earlier that if we get a similar wicket in Melbourne as it has been, we will struggle),” said Mohammad Amir.
Babar reveals the reason behind Pakistan’s loss in the T20 World Cup final.
Pakistan captain Babar has opened up after his side lost to England in the final of the T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony, Babar said that Pakistan were 20 runs short while setting the target. Babar also said that Shaheen's injury was one of the reasons why Pakistan lost the match. "Congratulations to England team, we felt like everyone came here to support us, thank you so much,” said Babar.
“The way the team has gone in the last four matches [was] incredible. I told the boys to play their natural game, with freedom.
"We were 20 runs short [in the final] but the fight to the last over was unbelievable. Our bowling is one of the best but unfortunately, Shaheen's injury cost us a different result, but that's part of the game.'
England skipper Jos was also ecstatic after his side's victory in the final.
"This is the icing on the cake, to win the T20 World Cup, just immensely proud. A long journey and a few changes, but we're reaping the rewards. Fantastic tournament," said Buttler.
Buttler also heaped praise on Ben Stokes for scoring a crucial fifty in the final.
"He [Stokes] is the ultimate competitor. In anything he does, a hell of a lot of experience to bank on, he timed it perfectly, the impetus he and Moeen had taken it away from Pakistan," he said.
Ben Stokes and Sam starred as England edged Pakistan by five wickets 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' side held Pakistan to 137-8 in front of a partisan 80,462 fans at a heaving Melbourne Cricket Ground, with player-of-the-match Sam bagging 3-12 and Adil Rashid chipping with 2-22.
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.
nice
You must be logged in to post a comment.