England strengthened their reputation as the masters of short-form cricket by clinching the Twenty20 World Cup with a five-wicket triumph over Pakistan in Australia on Sunday.
After limiting Pakistan to 137-8, England struggled for a period in the middle of the chase, before all-rounder Ben Stokes lifted the tempo with five overs remaining in Melbourne.
He scored 52 not-out to lead his side over the line in front of an electric crowd of over 80,000 at the MCG.
It capped off what had been a miserly bowling performance from England, with a notable spell from Sam Curran, who took 3-12 from four overs. Curran was named both the player of the match and player of the tournament.
Pakistan’s star pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi injured himself while taking a catch to remove England’s Harry Brook with the final still in the balance. With Afridi out and Stokes firing — England always looked likely to reach the target.
The victory means England become the first team to hold both the men’s 20 and 50-over world titles.
England captain Jos Buttler said he was “immensely proud” of his team’s performance.
