England have won their third World Cup in all by lifting the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 title on the back of a 5-wicket victory against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground tonight.
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Having first become World Champions by winning ICC World Twenty20 2010 in West Indies, England then won their maiden ODI World Cup at home in 2019. Their latest victory has made them the first nation to have won both the white-ball World Cups at the same time.
All-rounder Ben Stokes, who was in the middle to ensure a victory at Lord’s three years ago, replicated his role at the MCG as well. With England losing their top-order in the powerplay, Stokes stood tall on his reputation to score a maiden T20I half-century. Having hit five fours and a six at a strike rate of 106.12, Stokes understood the demand of a 138-run chase and reacted in the best possible manner.
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England all-rounder Sam Curran, who won a T20I match award only for the second time tonight, also bagged the Player of the Tournament award for his heroics throughout this World Cup.
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Curran, who provided England with their first breakthrough in this final, ended up as the pick of their bowlers with figures of 4-0-12-3. An economy rate of 3 including scalps of Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood and Mohammad Nawaz brought an ideal end to Curran’s dream tournament.
Not known for his death-bowling skills until the last few months, Curran winning both the match and series awards in a World Cup final is a validation of the highest order for his highly-improved skills in the shortest format.
Second-highest wicket-taker in this tournament (highest for England), Curran picked 13 wickets in six matches at an average of 11.38, an economy rate of 6.52 and a strike rate of 10.4 including a maiden five-wicket haul.
