I’m going to sign off now. Thanks for your company and emails, today and throughout the tournament. We’ve had them from all round the world: Israel, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines, Iceland, France, Antarctica, New York – and a south London coffee shop.
I’ll leave you with Simon Burnton’s report from the MCG. Commiserations to Pakistan, congratulations to England – goodbye!
“Who knew,” says Gary Naylor, “that a shake of hands between an obscure rugby league administrator and a largely unknown Kiwi player in a dingy committee room would be such a momentous occasion for English cricket?”
More from Ben Stokes
[What is it about you and World Cup finals?] Dunno. Good fun to play in though. It was weird: it felt like the wicket got harder as the ball got older. I made sure I stayed there as long as I possibly could; it’s never really panic stations when it’s under eight an over.
The way Mo played got us down to a run a ball. Yeah, decent, decent. There was always gonna be a time when he had to attack an over, and unfortunately for Pakistan Shaheen had to go off. It was obvious what we had to do – that over was the big one.
Oh, just one more thing: Lorcan Tucker, thank you.
There’s an endearing human side to this England team, and many of them are on the field with their families. As I type, Jos Buttler is holding his child and hugging his mum. I assume it’s his mum. It’s such a charming scene, almost enough to make you shed a wee tear.
“Did you spot,” says Tim Sanders, “that Harry Brook’s interview response of ‘So good, so good’ matched ‘Sweet Caroline’ playing over the tannoy?”
I didn’t, though Daniel Harris messaged me the same thing. So good, so good indeed.
“Ben Stokes is a ridiculous human being,” says Matt Dony. “He’s just different. He has that intangible quality that just makes things happen around him. I don’t understand it, but it’s there. Some artists have that same influence and ability to make things bend to their will. You could surround Bob Dylan by almost any band, and he would make them sound like ‘Bob Dylan’s band’. The charisma and X-factor to control and direct his surroundings and stamp his authority over it. Stokes does that to sport. The whole field, both teams, the whole situation, just bent to his will.”
ENGLAND ARE WORLD T20 CHAMPIONS!
Jos Buttler walks over to join his teammates, silly grin plastered all over his face, and lifts the World T20 trophy to the heavens!
Four months ago they were struggling after series defeats to India and South Africa. Hell, four games ago they were struggling. But they delivered when it mattered, producing one devastating performance to batter India and holding their nerve in three tight ones against New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
As in 2019, they recovered from a worrying blip to win the last four games, with no margin for error. Oh, and Ben Stokes took care of business when it mattered. It would be wrong to call him a big-game player; he’s a huge-game player.
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Jos Buttler speaks
I’m immensely proud of everyone here. Matthew Mott’s doing alright, isn’t he? This felt a long way away after the Ireland game, but the character we showed in must-win games has been amazing.
[Mott] has fitted in really well. He gives the players great freedom and allows us to to out and trust ourselves.
Adil has been outstanding in the last three games especially. He’s always been the guy we throw the ball to to make something happen.
The chase wasn’t easy at all. When you hit the right length there was a bit of seam movement – they were very attacking and obviously bowled at good pace. That man again was there for us, Ben Stokes. He’s the ultimate competitor in everything he does. He has a lot of experience and can take everything on his shoulders. The impetus he and Moeen Ali showed just took the game away.
The England team go up to receive their winners’ medals. I’d love to hear Alex Hales’ internal monologue right now.
Babar Azam speaks
First of all congratulations to England – they are deserved champions. It felt like home so thank you to all the supporters. We were 20 runs short but the way we fought until the last over was unbelievable – all credit to the boys. Our bowling attack is one of the best in the world. Unfortunately Shaheen got injured and it cost us. Maybe it would have been a different result, but that’s part of the game.
Now the Pakistan team walk up to receive their runners-up medals. They made the tournament infinitely more interesting, as they always do, and some of their fast bowling on a spicy pitch tonight was dangerously exhilarating. Naseem Shah’s figures of 4-0-30-0 are an utter scandal.
The presentation is under way. Sam Curran walks up to officially receive his player of the match award, and his player of the tournament award, and his wide yorker of the tournament award, and his into-the-pitch slower ball of the tournament award.
"𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂𝙎 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚-𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩" 👑
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 13, 2022
The winning moment 😍🏴#PAKvENG #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/daryaUkESz
While Sky are showing replays of Stokes’s innings, Jos Buttler charges over to rugby tackle his best mate and predecessor Eoin Morgan. Buttler doesn’t let his hair down often, which makes it an even more beautiful sight (or in this case sound, a grunt of surprise from Morgan) when he does.
“I cannot even begin to tell you how much this fabulous win means to me & my family,” says Karen Thorne in Slovenia. “England cricket matches have seen us through some very difficult times health wise for us all, & this feelgood win has done it again for me, recovering from major surgery as I am at the moment.
“My husband has worked on cricket as an engineer for many years & my daughter has been working on this match at Sky studios. Congratulations England. Well deserved.”
Sport, eh?
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Here’s our snap report of England’s victory
Sam Curran is also the player of the tournament!
It’s amazing. We’ve won a World Cup in front of these amazing fans! Thank you to everyone who came out tonight.
I wanted to be adaptable coming into this tournament. I haven’t bowled at the death much in my career and that\s something I want to keep working on, the same with my batting. I’m not thinking about that now – we’re world champs, how good?!
Curran finished with 13 wickets at 11.38. Only Wanindu Hasaranga, who played two extra games, took more. For somebody who bowls at the death, his economy rate of 6.52 is outstanding.
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Sam Curran is the player of the match for his spell of 4-0-12-3
I don’t think I should be getting us – the way Stokesy played there, he always does it in finals. We felt the wicket wasn’t as good as we thought it would be. We saw how well Pakistan bowled and it was a tough chase.
On this type of ground I go into the wicket with my slower balls and just to try to keep the batsmen guessing. I don’t actually… world champions, how good!
[Ben Stokes] is somebody I’ve always looked up to. He’s the man.
It was so sweet the way Curran jumped straight into Stokes’s arms at the end of the game, simultaneously his fanboy and his peer.
🏴 Men of the moment 🏴
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) November 13, 2022
4-0-12-3 ➜ Sam Curran
4-0-32-1 & 52* (49) ➜ Ben Stokes#PAKvENG #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/98EMbmvJ6R
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Adil Rashid comes over for a chat with the Sky team, pats Eoin Morgan on the back and says “thank you for picking me in 2015!’”
As well as the current squad, this is a triumph for Morgan, Trevor Bayliss, Paul Farbrace and Andrew Strauss. They started all this.
How does it feel to be DOUBLE world champion, Adil? 😍🔊 pic.twitter.com/q6a57FFSsk
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 13, 2022
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“Ben Stokes, eh?” says Simon McMahon. “Bloody hell.”
It’s worth repeating: England are the first men’s team to be world champions in both ODIs and T20s. There are no asterisks any more; they sit at the top table with the greatest white-ball teams of all time.
You have to feel for Pakistan, who bowled sensationally at times, particularly Naseem Shah. The injury to Shaheen Shah Afridi, who hurt his knee while catching Harry Brook, may well have decided the game. We’ll never know.
Iftikhar Ahmed has to finish Afridi’s over, and Stokes belted his last two deliveries for 10. That turned the game at a time when England needed 38 from 26 balls and were in a bit of bother.
GONE! Harry Brook ❌
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 13, 2022
Afridi takes a brilliant catch in the deep! England four down 😬#PAKvENG #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/Ts7vTMAEJ6
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Ben Stokes, cricket adores you
Thank you mate [he’s talking to Adam Gilchrist, not us]. I thought the way we bowled; that’s what won us the game. That was a tricky wicket with a bit of bounce; you never felt like you were in.
With the Ireland defeat being so early in the competition, we had to address it, say what we said and then let it go. In tournaments you can’t carry baggage with you. The best teams learn from their mistakes, take on the chin and move on to the next challenge. It’s a pretty good evening!
Harry Brook speaks
So good, so good. I always thought we were gonna win it and we showed the world how good we were tonight. I thought the wicket might be a bit better! I haven’t played much Test cricket but I imagine it’s like that.
ENGLAND WIN BY FIVE WICKETS WITH SIX BALLS TO SPARE
I was so excited I forgot to post the final score. Stokes finished on 52 not out from 49 balls, an innings that couldn’t have been more well judged if he’d written it on a computer program.
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The England players all run to Stokes, a serial winner who gets high on the kind of pressure that sends 99 per cent of humans into the bunker.
We thought Stokes’s scriptwriter had retired at the end of 2019, his work done. Wrong! Stokes fooled us all by batting like a clown in the games that didn’t matter, and then like a nerveless genius in the ones that did. Of all the gin joints in all the world, Stokes made his first ever T20I fifty in front of 90,000 people at the MCG.
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ENGLAND ARE T20 WORLD CHAMPIONS!
Ben Stokes smashes the winning runs! Six years on from Kolkata and Carlos Brathwaite, he has had the final say in a World Cup final! “It’s Ben Stokes,” says Nasser Hussain on commentary. “It’s always Ben Stokes.”
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Stokes plays and misses. England need one from seven.
FIFTY FOR BEN STOKES!
Ben Stokes hits a full toss from Wasim to reach – and how perfect is this – his first ever T20I half-century. He looks to the heavens, to his old man Ged, and then faces up again with one needed to win.
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19.3 overs: England 133-5 (target 138; Stokes 47, Livingstone 0) Alex Hales is having a fingernail sandwich on the boundary edge. Livingstone drives his first ball for a single. Five from nine needed.
“‘m in a south London coffee shop, just because this is where I was back in 2019,” says Vic Rushton. “I’m even sat at the same table. Tension unbearable: come on England!!!
WICKET! England 131-5 (Ali b Wasim 19)
18.2 overs Bowled him! Moeen Ali drags a wide yorker back onto the stumps, and Pakistan are still brawling. England need five from 10 balls.
Moeen made a valuable 19 from 13 balls.
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Mohammad Wasim will bowl out. Pakistan just want to take it to the last over and hope something absurd happens.
18th over: England 131-4 (target 138; Stokes 46, Ali 19) Haris rams a serious bouncer past Stokes’s head, but Stokes takes a single off the last ball to keep the strike. England need seven off 12 balls.
Before this tournament, I doubted whether Ben Stokes should be in this team. So did you, it’s okay to admit it. I am a moron, you are a moron.
17.3 overs: England 130-4 (target 138; Stokes 45, Ali 19) Haris Rauf has to bowl his last over now; Pakistan have no choice. Stokes cuts superbly for two, which brings the target down to 8 from 15 balls.
“Several members of our English pilgrim group in Jerusalem have abandoned a guided tour of an exhibition of the Turin Shroud to follow your coverage,” writes William Cash. “Test Match special doesn’t function in Israel. To say we are all praying is an understatement.”
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17th over: England 126-4 (target 138; Stokes 42, Ali 18) “It’s almost as if the spirit of Pakistan limped off with Shaheen Shah Afridi,” says Ian Smith. It was such a cruel blow: for him, for Pakistan, for the whole game. But it is part of the game, and England won’t apologise this time if they win.
A huge over for England ends with Moeen top-edging Wasim over the keeper’s head from four. Sixteen from it, and England need 12 from 18 balls. They are this close to making history as the first men’s team to be ODI and T20 world champions at the same.
16.2 overs: England 118-4 (target 138; Stokes 39, Ali 13) England are making a dash for glory. Moeen mullers Wasim over extra cover for four and then pulls another to long leg. That makes it 18 off the last four balls.
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16th over: England 110-4 (target 138; Stokes 39, Ali 5) Ben Stokes, the pathological winner, could be doing it in a World Cup final again! He smashes four through extra cover and then pulls a flat six over the leaping Babar at long off. England need 28 from 24 balls.
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15.4 overs: England 100-4 (target 138; Stokes 29, Ali 5) A huge let-off for Stokes! He mistimed a big shot that landed this far short of Babar running in from long off. He thought he was out and wasn’t alert to a possible second run.
Afridi leaves the field through injury
15.1 overs: England 97-4 (target 138; Stokes 28, Ali 3) Afridi is really struggling. He aborts his run up, then beats Ali with a half-ratpower delivery. That’s the only injury he’s going to bowl – he limps off to a standing ovation from the Pakistan fans, and the rest of the over will be bowled by the occasional offspinner Iftikhar.
“On a rail replacement bus, running 40 minutes late trying to plan my revised route home whilst tracking Englands’s progress,” writes Kerry Haselup. “Nail biting doesn’t come into it. Come on Stokesy.”
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15th over: England 97-4 (target 138; Stokes 28, Ali 3) Stokes cuts Haris Rauf this far short of Shan Masood at backward point. Then he survives an appeal for caught behind after missing an attempted slog. Pakistan have only one review and Babar doesn’t risk it. Replays show it’s the correct decision.
After taking punches all over, Stokes buzzes Haris Rauf by clattering the last ball through extra cover for four. England really needed that. They need 41 from 30 balls, and Shaheen Shah Afridi is going to try to bowl.
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14th over: England 89-4 (target 138; Stokes 21, Ali 1) Another run-out chance! Stokes is sent back, slips and is just short when the throw from mid-on flashes past the stumps.
Moeen Ali, not always the best in nervy runchases, pulls Naseem in the air but safely for a single. Stokes can barely lay a bat on Naseem, who ends a memorable spell with scandalously unjust figures of 4-0-30-0.
England are now only three runs ahead on DLS. They need 49 from 36 balls – and Shaheen Shah Afridi is back on the field. That’s a huge boost for Pakistan, who are now arguably favourites. He’s still limping, mind you.
This is incredible stuff. And you thought the tension of 2019 was a one-off.
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13th over: England 87-4 (target 138; Stokes 20, Ali 1) Ah, so this is why they picked Ben Stokes. He moves into the twenties with a fleet-footed cut for two, and Shadab ends a lovely spell with figures of 4-0-20-1.
England need 51 from 42 balls.
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This is a problem for Pakistan. Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is a key man at the death and has two overs remaining, has limped off the field straight after taking that catch. I think his right knee may have got stuck in the turf.
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WICKET! England 82-4 (Brook c b Shadab 20)
Oh my word. Brook dances down the track and smashes Shadab flat and hard towards long off, where Shaheen Shah Afridi slides forward to take a terrific two-handed catch in front of his face.
Brook goes for a useful if increasingly nervous 22-ball 20.
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STOKES IS NOT OUT!
12th over: England 82-3 (target 138; Stokes 18, Brook 18) It was a wonderful delivery, which roared off the seam and was extremely close to the edge – but there’s nothing on Ultra-Edge and Stokes survives.
Naseem Shah is 19 years old, and he is bowling one of the great wicketless spells. England need 56 from 48 balls.
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PAKISTAN REVIEW FOR CAUGHT BEHIND AGAINST STOKES!
Haris Rauf is back on the field. Naseem Shah returns to the attack and beats Brook with consecutive deliveries. The first exploded from the pitch; the second trampolined over Brook’s wild yahoo.
Stokes walks down the pitch in an attempt to calm Brook down, and then Brook muscles a pull over midwicket for three. Haris Rauf does unbelievably well to save a run with a sprawling stop.
Naseem Shah is bowling a scintillating spell. Stokes plays and misses at three consecutive deliveries; by my count Naseem has beaten the bat 10 times in three overs.
Hang on, Babar has gone for the review with that last delivery…
11th over: England 79-3 (target 138; Stokes 18, Brook 15) Brook survives a run-out chance after backing up too far. Stokes drove Shadab to mid-off, where Nawaz’s stopped the ball superbly but then threw off target. Brook would have been miles out. Just two runs from an excellent over. England need 59 from 54 balls. I don’t have time to type the DLS par score every over, but if England slip behind it I’ll let you know. Oh what the hell, the par score is 71.
“Following in Antarctica celebrating friend Keith’s birthday.,” says James Kynge. “If England win I’ll be sure to let the penguins know.”
Just as long as they don’t stop play.
10th over: England 77-3 (target 138; Stokes 17, Brook 14) Stokes times a low full toss through extra cover for four, an outstanding stroke. This is sensible, low-risk cricket from Stokes and Brook. It was always likely to be a runchase full of moodswings, and for the moment England’s world is relatively calm.
Saying which, Brook is sent back by Stokes and has to scramble to make his ground. We’ve had 10 overs which means there will be a result one way or another. England, who are 12 runs ahead on DLS, need 61 from 60 balls.
9th over: England 69-3 (target 138; Stokes 11, Brook 12) Stokes would normally focus on taking the game deep, but DLS makes that a little more complicated. In the 2019 final, England were probably behind on DLS from overs 19.3 to 49.4.
Stokes gets his first boundary in fortunate style, under-edging a reverse sweep down the leg side. Eight from the over. England are nine runs ahead on DLS; they need 69 from 66 balls.
8th over: England 61-3 (target 138; Stokes 5, Brook 10) The fourth paceman, Mohammad Wasim, is on for the first time. Stokes charges his first ball and cuts it for a single.
England are slightly ahead on DLS, though that will change if they lose another wicket. Every little helps, and Wasim bowls consecutive wides before Brook whips two to cow corner. He’s started with admirable serenity for a young player who had such a difficult tournament.
The moment I type that, of course, he misses an attempted drive over extra cover from outside leg stump. The last ball kicks to hit him painfully on the right elbow, and there’s a delay while he receives treatment. This is quite some pace attack that Pakistan have.
“I am sitting on a French island in the South Pacific (New Caledonia ) so no chance of coverage of cricket on French TV,” says Terence Ayres. “Really glad you are there!”
I’d be really glad if I was there too.
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7th over: England 54-3 (target 138; Stokes 3, Brook 7) It’s time for the legspinner Shadab Khan. Adil Rashid got a lot out of this pitch, so he should be a threat. His second ball beats Brook, and there are five runs from a (relatively) quiet over.
In other news, Haris Rauf has left the field. Adam Gilchrist says he was followed by a couple of the backroom staff, so either he has a niggle or there’s a really important horse race on in the next five minutes.
6th over: England 49-3 (target 138; Stokes 1, Brook 4) Drum and bass is having a bit of a revival, and I believe, and that fresh track you can hear is Harry Brook’s heartbeat.
He defends his first ball calmly and then flicks stylishly through midwicket for four. Lovely shot.
DLS can’t come into play until there have been at least 10 overs, but as things stand the par score after six overs is 45.
Duckworth-Lewis tables are out at the G.#T20WorldCup #PAKvENG pic.twitter.com/hiLXOeaIuS
— Anand Vasu (@anandvasu) November 13, 2022
“Atherton, Smith and Bishop,” says Laurence Boyd of the commentary team who have just handed over. “Just brilliant, desert island commentators for me.”
I love them all, but I couldn’t leave Nasser at home.
WICKET! England 44-3 (Buttler c Rizwan b Buttler 26)
Stokes drives the ball back to Haris Rauf, who collects and fakes as it to throw back at the batter. This is his home ground in the BBL, and he’s behaving like he owns the place.
And that’s why! He has picked up the biggest wicket of them all! Buttler felt instinctively for a very sharp delivery – he didn’t need to play - and nicked it through to Rizwan. That’s another Test-match dismissal in coloured clothing, and Buttler goes after a white-knuckle ride of 26 from 17. balls. It is well and truly on!
Haris Rauf gets his second wicket and it's the big one of Jos Buttler - GAME ON! 👊#PAKvENG #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/A2xuu1oBBs
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 13, 2022
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5th over: England 43-2 (target 138; Buttler 26, Stokes 0) Naseem Shah beats Buttler outside off stump three times in four balls; with the other going for four wides down the leg side. Told you Pakistan were merculiar.
Babar belatedly brings in a slip. Buttler has the nerve, the skill and the genitalia to walk across and scoop the next delivery off middle stump for six. That is an outrageous stroke.
Naseem beats Buttler twice more – that’s five in the over - to end maybe the best of the tournament. How good is this? If Pakistan get Buttler, it’s well and truly on.
4th over: England 32-2 (target 138; Buttler 20, Stokes 0) Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes are at the crease in a World Cup final again. Stokes offers no stroke to his first ball, a sizzler that only just misses off stump. Good judgement, I think.
He knew sweet bugger all about the next delivery, though, which snapped off the seam to beat him off the inside. Pakistan are on one.
“If it was Australia or India chasing down this total we’d think the game was basically over,” says Bob O’Hara. “But this is England, who can always find a way. It makes me feel almost patriotic.”
WICKET! England 32-2 (Salt c Iftikhar b Haris 10)
Haris Rauf strikes in his first over! Salt, who looked a bit jittery, slugs a pull straight to midwicket and goes for 10 from nine balls. This isn’t over, not by a long chalk.
In other news, get your DLS tables here, 50p a copy.
Duckworth-Lewis tables are out at the G.#T20WorldCup #PAKvENG pic.twitter.com/hiLXOeaIuS
— Anand Vasu (@anandvasu) November 13, 2022
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3rd over: England 28-1 (target 138; Buttler 20, Salt 6) Another glorious shot from Buttler, who times Afridi between midwicket and mid-on for his third boundary. He has 20 from 10 balls, Salt 6 fae 6.
“3-12 after all four overs in a T20 World Cup final against Pakistan,” says Matt Dony of Sam Curran’s performance. “‘Fairy tale’ barely seems to cover it. (Although, should we be treated to a proper old-skool England collapse, just imagine his righteous fury!)”
Two months ago he wasn’t in England’s best XI; now he’d probably get in a world XI.
SALT IS NOT OUT! The impact was umpire’s call, so Salt survives. It was going on to hit the stumps, though.
I’m too old for this.
This looks really close. Salt missed a pull at a slower full toss that hit him on the back pad. Was he outside leg stump? If not, he’s in trouble.
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PAKISTAN REVIEW FOR LBW AGAINST SALT!
2nd over: England 21-1 (target 138; Buttler 15, Salt 5) Naseem Shah’s first delivery swings a long way to beat Buttler, but he responds with consecutive cover drives for four. That’s the most emphatic response.
Buttler edges well wide of slip for a single, then Salt inside-edges his first ball between his legs for four. This is pulsating stuff. The innings has barely started and they’re already trading in the centre of the ring.
“For those looking and failing to find the TMS link, try GuerillaCricket instead,” says David Schaub-Jones. “Not to everyone’s taste but has kept me entertained from Hanoi to Medellin and many places in between.”
I think our beloved Gary Naylor is on that; he certainly used to be.
1st over: England 7-1 (Buttler 6, Salt 0) That was the last ball of the over. Hales’s fine tournament ends in disappointment, though he shouldn’t reproach himself too much. It was a storming delivery.
That was the 8th time Shaheen Shah Afridi has taken a wicket in the first over in T20Is#T20WorldCupFinal #PAKvENG
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) November 13, 2022
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WICKET! England 7-1 (Hales b Afridi 1)
Hahaha, he’s done it again! Shaheen Shah Afridi ends his first over with the customary wicket. It was a sensational inswinger that beat Hales all ends up and deflected off the back pad onto the stumps.
"What a DELIVERY Shaheen Shah Afridi!" 💥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 13, 2022
Afridi bowls Hales in the first over!! #PAKvENG #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/rfhB2Ju3HI
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The players are back out. In a surprising development Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is so good at taking wickets in the first over, will bowl the first over.
England need 138 to win
They would certainly have taken that at the start, but let’s not get giddy. If any team can defend 138, it’s Pakistan.
Key event
20th over: Pakistan 137-8 (Afridi 5, Rauf 1) Afridi top-edges Jordan over the keeper’s head for a desperately needed boundary. There’s a bit of drizzle falling, though not enough for the players to go off.
Pakistan steal a bye to the keeper off the last delivery, which means England need 138 to win the World Cup. The last four overs went for just 19. England started nervously, but they were increasingly ruthless as the innings progressed. Adil Rashid (4-1-22-2, including a wicket maiden) and Sam Curran (4-0-12-3) were the stars.
WICKET! Pakistan 131-8 (Wasim c Livingstone b Jordan 4)
This is outstanding from England. Jordan beats Wasim twice and then has him caught holing out to deep midwicket. Livingstone ran in and dived forward to take a difficult catch with such little fuss that the commentator Ravi Shastri thought he had grounded it and was walking back to the boundary in disgust.
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19th over: Pakistan 131-7 (Wasim 4, Afridi 1) A typically good spot from Tim de Lisle: no batter has hit more than two fours. Whether that’s because of the pitch, the bowling, the ground dimensions or all three, I don’t know.
Curran continues to befuddle the Pakistan batsmen. Wasim misses a hook at a typically slippery short ball, and Curran ends with extraordinary figures of 4-0-12-3. Somewhere in the afterlife, a former Northamptonshire allrounder is beaming with pride.
“Whaddid I say about Brook?!” writes Andy Brook, who was critical when Brook put down a tough chance on Wednesday. “Total dropper! With you on his batting though.”
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WICKET! Pakistan 129-7 (Nawaz c Livingstone b Curran 5)
Sam Curran is having a night out in Melbourrne. Nawaz flicks a full delivery straight to Livingstone at deep midwicket, and Curran has figures of 3.3-0-10-3.
18th over: Pakistan 127-6 (Nawaz 3 Wasim 3) Dropped him! Wasim slaps Jordan to backward point, where Brook puts down a tricky diving chance. Wasim steals a single – and then gets two more when Brook’s throw evades Stokes backing up.
Harry Brook is going to be a star, but his performance in this tournament is slightly reminiscent of Ian Bell in the 2005 Ashes. That said, Bell was brilliant in the field so maybe I’m talking nonsense. It wouldn’t be entirely without precedent.
“I don’t think there is an overseas TMS link for this,” says Tom Rebbitt. “It’s not on the BBC website and BBC Sounds says it’s only available in the UK. I’m in Munich on the way to Houston, praying this concludes before I take off!”
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WICKET! Pakistan 123-6 (Shadab c Woakes b Jordan 20)
Superb bowling from Chris Jordan. He rammed a short ball into the surface, and Shadab could only clout it to mid-off. That’s a vital wicket because Shadab is very dangerous at the death.
There’s no doubt that England are on top now.
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17th over: Pakistan 122-5 (Shadab 20, Nawaz 1) Curran’s third over goes for just three, and he has unreal figures of 3-0-8-2. Before this World Cup, an old Wisden.com colleague – who is usually a superb judge - texted our WhatsApp group to opine that, “I wish Sammy C would just eff off.” Fair to say he’s been reminded of it a few times during the tournament.
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WICKET! Pakistan 121-5 (Shan c Livingstone b Curran 38)
Sam Curran strikes again! Shan hoicked a slower ball towards deep midwicket, where Livingstone took a comfortable catch. He goes for a useful 28-ball 38, and now Curran is the leading wickettaker since the beginning of the Super 12s.
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16th over: Pakistan 119-4 (Shan 36, Shadab 20) For the first time since the opening match against Afghanistan, Ben Stokes is going bowl a full four-over spell.
His last over goes for 13. Shadab hammers a cut towards extra cover, where the sprawling Salt can’t save the boundary. Then he pulls towards deep square, where the diving Curran saves a run. Every little helps. Stokes finishes a mixed spell with figures of 4-0-32-1.
“I’m with Jack Sidders,” says Sara Torvalds. “Not on a stag do in Vienna, admittedly, but I’d love the overseas TMS link as well, as I’m at home in Karis, Finland. Go England!”
15th over: Pakistan 106-4 (Shan 34, Shadab 9) Shadab slices Jordan high in the and not far short of Hales at third man.
Shan, who is batting fluently, clatters Jordan into the ground and over extra cover for four. He has 34 from 23 balls, Shadab 10 from 8.
Pakistan are heading for… if not a par score, then at least one that gives their bowlers a chance. That’s all they ever asked for/
14.1 overs: Pakistan 98-4 (Shan 28, Shadab 8) Jordan’s first ball thumps Shan on the side of the helmet, which leads to a break in play while he is checked for concussion. He’s fine.
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14th over: Pakistan 98-4 (Shan 28, Shadab 8) Shadab’s a high-class legspinner himself, so he has less trouble picking Rashid. He muscles a boundary back over the bowler’s head, and four singles make it eight from over.
Rashid ends a seriously good spell of 4-1-22-2 by ripping one past Shadab’s outside edge.
Adil Rashid 1-20 in the semi-final and 2-22 in the final. That is SK Warne 1999 World Cup areas #T20WorldCup
— Daniel Brettig 🏏 (@danbrettig) November 13, 2022
“Does anyone have the overseas TMS link? “ says Jack Sidders. “It is possible it was already shared but I’m on a stag do in Vienna and I’m struggling to read dense blocks of text at the moment.”
Blimey, is it Australian time in Vienna as well?
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13th over: Pakistan 90-4 (Shan 26, Shadab 2) Shan Masood turns Stokes to fine leg for two. Buttler was very nonchalant about receiving the throw, perhaps not realising how tight the second run was. That said, I think it would have needed a direct hit to run Shan out.
England have used up their fifth-bowler allocation now, though don’t be surprised if Livingstone bowls Chris Woakes’s fourth over, like he did against India.
“Watching from a sunny Naples hoping the weather will hold in the MCG, the home of Shane Warne, arguably the greatest leg-spinner of all time,” writes Colum Fordham. “It looks like Adil Rashid is taking over his mantle with his guileful googlies and luscious leggies. He certainly bamboozled Babar. But the sheer unpredictability of Pakistan promise to make this a thriller. Merlot eh? Had a bit of the local Aglianico red yesterday evening but some strong tea seems to be doing the business.”
WICKET! Pakistan 85-4 (Iftikhar c Buttler b Stokes 0)
Another one! The dangerous Iftikhar Ahmed has gone for a six-ball duck, nicking a sharp lifter from Stokes through to Buttler. That was a Test-match dismissal dressed in coloured clothing.
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12th over: Pakistan 84-3 (Shan 23, Iftikhar 0) The new batter Iftikhar is beaten consecutive deliveries from Rashid, who is bowling marvellously. In fact, that’s a wicket maiden. The ball is turning a lot, which will interest Shadab Khan in particular. Rashid has figures of 3-1-14-2.
So surprising to see Pakistan batsman not being able to read Adil Rashid, he has them in the palm of his hand. #PAKvENG #ICCT20WorldCup2022Final
— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) November 13, 2022
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WICKET! Pakistan 84-3 (Babar ct and b Rashid 32)
Sound the match-up klaxon: Babar has fallen to Rashid once again! It was an unusual dismissal. Babar didn’t pick the googly, tried to cut it and could only screw the ball back down the ground. Rashid swooped to his right to take a good catch. That’s a huge wicket.
"That's a REMARKABLE dismissal of a very good player!" 😮
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 13, 2022
HUGE moment! The reaction from Rashid when Babar sends it back though 🌪️#PAKvENG #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/KmK7GKl1Nn
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11th over: Pakistan 84-2 (Babar 32, Shan 23) Liam Livingstone comes on for Chris Jordan – and his first over disappears for 16! It was obvious from the start that Shan Masood was going to target him. After a couple of sighters, he smeared four back past the bowler and then launched a big six over long on.
“Having checked the weather radar for the 194th time today, I can probably stop worrying about complex mathematical equations and start worrying about things on the pitch,” says Phil Withall. “There’s an old sporting maxim about winning the moment and that seems to apply even more in T20, the shorter format offering less time for redemption. Fascinating couple of hours ahead. I still think England will win but I have been up for 16 hours and may well have been on the Merlot...”
10th over: Pakistan 68-2 (Babar 29, Shan 11) Rashid’s second over is expertly milked for nine runs – two twos, four singles and a wide. Pakistan are manoeuvring the ball well, taking advantage of the huge outfield to put England’s bowlers under pressure.
That’s drinks. I think both teams will be reasonably happy with the score, if not necessarily with how they’ve played.
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9th over: Pakistan 59-2 (Babar 27, Shan 5) Chris Jordan replaces Ben Stokes (2-0-14-0). Babar, who is starting to find that sweet, sweet spot in the middle of his bat, flicks a short ball off the hip for four.
The usual ones and twos make it a good over for Pakistan – nine from it. Babar has 27 from 23 balls, Shan 5 from 6.
8th over: Pakistan 50-2 (Babar 22, Shan 1) Shan is beaten first up by a nice googly. He gets off the mark with a swept single, which allows Rashid two balls at Babar. Sound the match-up klaxon! I wouldn’t say Babar is Rashid’s bunny, but he has struggled against him at times.
Babar works both deliveries into the leg side for two, played with Fairy Liquid hands so that the ball takes longer to get to the fielder.
“Following the text from a bumpy bus outside Nairobi,” writes Tom Wein. “My American colleagues were baffled by my protests that this trip clashed with the match. My Indian colleagues, who I normally count on to explain cricket with me, were strangely unwilling to help. Thanks for the coverage!”
WICKET! Pakistan 45-2 (Haris c Stokes b Rashid 8)
Adil Rashid strikes with his first ball! Haris charged down the track and launched the ball high towards long on, where Stokes steadied himself to take a simple catch.
It’s only Rashid’s third wicket of the tournament, but he has bowled majestically in the last three games (and one ball).
Haris’s excitable 12-ball innings comes to an end, and here comes Shan Masood.
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7th over: Pakistan 45-1 (Babar 18, Haris 8) Both teams still look pretty nervous. Stokes returns to the attack and rams a bouncer past Haris’s attempted hook. That really zipped through.
Haris makes room to thump the next ball back over Stokes’s head for two. He’s batting very skittishly, but England know that his approach – and his hitting ability – make him a dangerous customer. Six from the over.
6th over: Pakistan 39-1 (Babar 17, Haris 4) Babar waves a poor ball from Woakes round the corner for four, then mistimes a clip that lands safely on the leg side. Mike Atherton, commentating on Sky, says that the pitch looks a bit two-paced. I think Pakistan would take 150.
Haris edges Woakes just short of Salt at backward point and then misses another heave on the run. But he finally gets off the mark from his seventh delivery, scooping Woakes gracefully over short fine leg for four.
“Sam Curran is one of the mentally strongest sportsfolk it’s ever been my pleasure to watch,” writes my colleague Daniel Harris. “To deliver something almost all of the time but especially when it’s most required, and without being as good as the best in either discipline - much as he’s improved at T20 bowling - is seriously mindblowing.”
What I like about him is that he has both bronca and a very high sporting IQ. The two don’t always go together.
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5th over: Pakistan 29-1 (Babar 11, Haris 0) Mohammad Haris, a stylish dasher whose hero is Jos Buttler, comes into at No3. He charges his third ball and misses an almighty wipe. The ball is shorter and slower, and Haris fresh-airs an attempted uppercut.
That’s a brilliant over from Curran – one wicket and just one run. He is now the joint leading wicket-taker among those who started at the Super 12s – he and Anrich Nortje have 11. Before the tournament, my nephew Aidan kept pointing out that Curran was 200/1 to be player of the tournament. I hope he had a bet on it.
“Good evening Rob from a weirdly autumnal Melbourne,” says Patrick O’Brien. Cricket fans here are focusing on their IODs and SAMs as much as their DRS’s. Here’s hoping the skies stay closed.”
Right: what’s an IOD, what’s an SAM and what the hell is a weirdly autumnal Melbourne.
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WICKET! Pakistan 29-1 (Rizwan b Curran 15)
A huge wicket for England! Rizwan has fallen the ball after receiving treatment. He chased a wide, wobble-seam delivery, angled across from over the wicket, and dragged it back onto the stumps. Sam Curran, England’s bowler of the tournament, has another wicket.
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4.1 overs: Pakistan 28-0 (Rizwan 15, Babar 11) Rizwan needs treatment after diving for a single and jamming his right eye against the grille of the helmet. There’s a bit of bruising but he looks fine.
4th over: Pakistan 28-0 (Rizwan 15, Babar 10) Only Virat Kohli and Aaron Finch have scored more T20 runs against England than these two. Rizwan adds six to his career total, slog-sweeping Woakes – yep, slog-sweeping Woakes – high over square leg. It was a slower ball, but even so: shot!
Rizwan, busy as ever, steals a single off the next ball. He is the most infectious, effervescent cricketer, just a pleasure to watch even when he is shattering your partisan dreams.
Babar still hasn’t hit a boundary, but he gets three with a slightly mistimed flick over mid-on. I was going to say that if Babar is mistiming it, the pitch can’t be great, but he’s spent most of the tournament failing to locate the middle. The great Osman Samiuddin wrote a terrific piece on it.
“What’s all this?” says Brendan Large. “This was not in my plans. I was thinking I could sleep in whilst occasionally checking the OBO for updates on how deep under water the MCG was. Now all my usual nerves have kicked in and I have a sweat on. At least bowling first means England can’t quite lose it in the first half hour, but they could go a long way to winning if they get the openers early doors. Fingers crossed that rain doesn’t play the deciding role here.”
Listen to that CROWD! 🔥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 13, 2022
Rizwan smashes the first 6️⃣ of the final! #PAKvENG #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/RQeMT7a8QV
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3rd over: Pakistan 16-0 (Rizwan 7, Babar 6) Sam Curran replaces Stokes and beats Babar with his first and fifth deliveries, both angled across him from over the wicket. A good over ends with a big inswinger that hits Babar high on the pad.
For most teams this would be a slow start. Pakistan do things differently.
2nd over: Pakistan 12-0 (Rizwan 4, Babar 5) Both teams have started nervously, England in particular, and Chris Woakes’ first ball is a leg-side wide that Babar ignores.
There’s a bit of swing for Woakes too, who is pitching the ball up as a result. He hasn’t quite got his line right though, and there are three singles on the leg side.
1st over: Pakistan 8-0 (Rizwan 3, Babar 3) The first delivery of the match is a front-foot no-ball from Ben Stokes. Tremendous stuff. It was a good delivery, actually, a full-length outswinger that Rizwan defended, but replays showed he had overstepped.
Stokes follows that with a wide, so the free hit rolls over, but he makes the best of a bad job with a nasty lifter that thumps Rizwan on the body. It’s supposed to be a free hit for the batter, not the bowler.
There’s definitely some swing from Stokes, so he might get a second over. Rizwan plays tip and run to mid-off and is well short of his ground when Jordan’s throw misses the stumps. England couldn’t have wanted a better fielder to have an early run-out chance.
An eventful over concludes with Babar cutting a short ball for three. That’s not the length to bowl, Benjamin. England bowled way too short against Ireland in similar conditions and were punished.
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Here come Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam, simply the greatest T20 opening partnership of all time. It looks like Ben Stokes will bowl the first over. Let’s get this thing under way.
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“My two sons are sat high up in the MCG on, they say, a lovely evening,” writes Rob Lewis. “Josh is naturally supporting England, but so is Will, who is my Aussie son. Who is the neutral going for in this final? Indians surely for us, but most red-blood Aussies and I suspect others, will go for Pakistan…”
Without doubt. I’m an England fan and there’s a big part of my subconscious that wants Pakistan to win.
Tense, nervous headache? I’ll say!
The last time the MCG hosted a World Cup final (the women’s T20 a couple of years back) Katy Perry was the pre-match entertainment. We’ve got Icehouse. Their UK peak was a No13 hit with Hey Little Girl in 1983.
The magic number
According to our PitchViz par model, which uses ball-tracking data, the par score at The MCG in this tournament is 159. With Pakistan's bowling strength, anything north of 160 should put them in a great spot. #T20WorldCupFinal
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) November 13, 2022
The players walk onto the field for the national anthems. The atmosphere at the MCG is incredible.
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I’m off to grab a coffee. See you in a few minutes for the World Cup bleeding final.
“I think Buttler opting to bowl is a shrewd move in a potential 10-over thrash,” says Tom Van der Gucht. “If the rain materialises, there’s a chance the Pakistan openers would have crawled to 50 for no wicket and would miss out on the opportunity to accelerate through the gears after laying a solid platform. This pressure might also force them to take more risks and abandon their normal game plan too.”
Yes, on balance it’s the right decision – but I don’t think it’s the big advantage that it was in the early days of DLS T20 calculations.
“This is a repeat of an occasion that virtually changed the fate of Pakistan,” says Zain Malik, time-travelling back to 25 March 1993. “A Melbourne final which saw the legend and myth of individual triumph become entrenched in Pakistan’s public memory. In all its glamour, coloured shirts and floodlights, heroes were born defeating the mighty English in a distant land. Pakistan was announced to the world in style.
“Thirty years later, Australia is no longer a distant land. Babar is on the billboards and the MCG is expected to become a sea of green with the Barmy Army cowering to find a voice. Whatever happens, it is this beautiful sport that has brought this nation to the world.
“It is only Pakistan that can conquer the world through clumsy, stumbling, circumstantial luck. You’ve got to love them, for they always give you something to believe in. For inspiring all the forces of nature to come together and deliver them victory. Go on boys, do this for the people.”
I would politely disagree with one thing – when Pakistan conquer the world, it has the square root of bugger all to do with luck. (Well, apart from Netherlands beating South Africa – I’m referring specifically to Pakistan’s games.)
“My god, it’s happening isn’t it?” writes Guy Hornsby. “No place I’d rather be than following on this place, amongst fatalists and friends. The thing is, we are evens here, but you worry about early wickets as our middle order really hasn’t fired. Now’s the time I guess! So much on the opening pairs and bowlers here. And my twin brother is sat at the G, just in 6 range at mid off. What a day, Rob.”
That’s probably England’s biggest concern, because you have to assume Pakistan’s new-ball bowlers will take a wicket or three. Jos Buttler and Alex Hales have scored 58 per cent of England’s runs in this tournament; the third highest runscorer is Ben Stokes with 58.
I can’t quite believe that we are half an hour away from a World Cup final. All the signs were that it would be rained off, or at the very least have a delayed start.
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The teams
Pakistan Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi
England Buttler (c/wk), Hales, Salt, Stokes, Brook, Ali, Livingstone, Curran, Woakes, Jordan, Rashid.
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England win the toss and bowl first
Jos Buttler says the weather is the main reason for fielding first. England are unchanged, though Buttler didn’t specify whether Mark Wood was available for selection or not. There might be echoes of Robin Smith in 1992 – he missed the semi-final through injury, was available for the final but missed out. Surely England wouldn’t leave Wood out though? It’d be like leaving Robin Smith out of a World Cup final!
Babar Azam says Pakistan would also have bowled. And they are also unchanged.
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“Good morning Rob from a gloriously autumnal hillside in Piedmont,” says Finbar Anslow. “Agreed, the two teams have nothing in common, except that they’re both captained by ex Somerset players. Thanks for the commentary. Should be a brilliant match.”
It should, although we said the same about the series decider between these two last month. A Super Over wouldn’t be a surprise; nor would a thumping victory for either team.
The toss
Teams usually bowl first when there is rain around, so that they know exactly what they need to chase. But DLS targets are tougher than they used to be, never mind the pressure of batting last in a final. There must at least be a temptation to get runs on the board while conditions are good.
Meet the new captain, subtly different to the old captain
England will wear black armbands today in tribute to David English, who died yesterday at the age of 76. English was a cricket obsessive whose Bunbury schools festival gave many England greats their first significant exposure.
So sad to hear the news of David English passing away. One of life’s great characters, so fun to spend time with and producer of some of the best English cricketers through his wonderful Bunbury Festivals. RIP ❤️ pic.twitter.com/RK3SXUOfSr
— Jos Buttler (@josbuttler) November 12, 2022
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Pakistan have a few dangermen, none greater than Shaheen Shah Afridi. He’s the best in the world, perhaps the best ever, at taking a wicket in the first over of a T20.
Team news
Simon Burnton, our man at the MCG, says that Mark Wood has marked out his run-up – but so has Chris Jordan, so who knows. It sounds like Dawid Malan hasn’t made it.
I’d imagine Pakistan will be unchanged; we haven’t heard anything to the contrary.
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to live, over-by-over coverage of the World T20 final between England and Pakistan in Melbourne. It’s the best batting line-up in the world against the best bowling attack – or, to put it another way, the irresistible force versus the irresistible force.
It is also – just imagine the reaction had you pitched this little beauty in March 2015 – England’s third World Cup final in six years, and a chance to cement their legacy as one of the greatest white-ball sides of all time. No men’s team has been ODI and T20 world champions at the time, not even the great West Indies side of the late 1970s.
There’s just one snag: they’re playing Pakistan. Pakistan, whose cornered tigers savaged England so euphorically in the 50-over final on this ground in 1992; Pakistan, who do unto logic as – get your contemporary references here – David Brent does unto faxes from head office; Pakistan, who lost their first two games and were 50/1 to win the World Cup eight days ago; Pakistan, whose every ICC tournament victory – 1992, 2009, 2017 – has involved them having the best view from the precipice throughout; Pakistan, who on their day leave even the strongest opposition wondering what the haal has hit them.
That’s the image we have of Pakistan – although, at the risk of being the pedant at the orgy, it’s a bit more nuanced than that. In their own merculiar (sic) way, they have been the most consistent T20 team of all since the first World Cup in 2007. Nobody has reached as many semi-finals; nobody has played in more finals.
The relationship between England and Pakistan has changed – there’s lot more respect, and nobody’s mother-in-law will be getting a mention tonight. The teams are also far closer in style and mood than they used to be. But they will never have everything in common.
Take the opening partnerships. Both are world-class, both have beaten India by 10 wickets at a World T20 in the past 13 months, yet they have different cat-skinning methodologies. It’s England’s cold-hearted bruisers, Jos Buttler and Alex Hales (average partnership 74, strike-rate 158), versus Pakistan’s careful caressers, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan (avge 50, with a much greater sample size; strike-rate 132). Babar and Rizwan’s century stand in the semi-final hammering of New Zealand was their eighth for the first wicket in T20Is. That’s twice as many as anyone else.
England’s openers go harder because the teams bats down to No11. Pakistan’s tail starts at No8, and they’ll display it with pride – because Nos 8-11 are in the team to take wickets, and they can all bowl in excess of 90mph. Buttler and Babar know - as captains and openers, for richer and poorer - that each bowling attack has enviable variety: legspinners, offspinners, right-armers, left-armers. Whoever the batter, there’s a match-up for that.
The whole thing is impossibly exciting. Or it would be if we hadn’t spent the last 72 hours looking at weather apps. A World Cup that has been defined by bad weather may yet be decided by it. When I went to bed last night I thought there was no chance to play today, and that I’d be home in time for Dawson’s Creek, but things are looking more promising now. The cold November rain is nowhere to be seen - Melbourne has been unexpectedly dry today, though the forecast is still for heavy showers both tonight and throughout the reserve day tomorrow.
We need at least 10 overs a side for the game to be completed. If they can’t manage that by tomorrow evening then England and Pakistan will be joint world champions, and supposedly responsible adults will start using that icky phrase about kissing your sister.
The match begins, weather permitting, at 8am in London, 1pm in Karachi and 7pm in Melbourne
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