Stokes-Ed: England clinch T20 World Cup in enemy territory

Ben Stokes celebrates the T20 victory for England with a half century sinking Pakistan by five wickets.

(AP)

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England have raised the T20 World Cup for the second time after defeating Pakistan by five wickets at the MCG last weekend.

The Poms looked in total control for most of the contest, but relentless bowling from Pakistan kept them in it until the end.

A crowd of 80,462 turned out to see a replay of the 1992 Cricket World Cup Final which was played at the same venue.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the English, after Ben Stokes bowled a no-ball with the first delivery of the innings (England’s first of the tournament).

However, this was the only blemish for England out in the field, as they restricted Pakistan to 8-137 in their 20 overs.

Pakistan never truly got going as the English seamers took advantage. Sam Curran made a breakthrough in the second ball of his spell after Mohammad Rizwan chopped it on, as he was forced to depart for 15.

At the other end, leg-spinner Adil Rashid completely shifted the momentum, taking 2-22 from his four overs. The veteran helped to remove two dangerous players in Babar Azam and Mohammad Haris.

Shan Masood looked to steady things slightly before Curran returned to take his wicket. Masood top scored for Pakistan with a solid 38 off 28 deliveries, while Babar was the other notable scorer with 32 from 28 balls.

This would spark a collapse from the green men, who lost 4-10 in three overs, thanks to brilliant fielding from the Poms.

Sam Curran took 3-12 off four overs making him a worthy player of the match. Adil Rashid managed 2-22 from his four overs, including a wicket maiden.

Pakistan kept themselves alive early on with the ball, taking three wickets in the powerplay.

Shaheen Afridi clean bowled Alex Hales in the opening over, before Haris Rauf came to the party.

The ex-Melbourne Stars import got Phil Salt out for 10, before Jos Buttler’s World Cup crescendo came to a premature end.

Just as the Poms looked to form a formidable partnership, Harry Brook was dismissed by Shadab Khan for 20.

The dismissal would have ramifications on Pakistan however, as Shaheen Afridi was ruled out for the remainder of the match after injuring his leg in the catch.

An inability to fill his void enabled Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes to catch fire.

There was a slight glimmer of hope when Mohammed Wasim dismissed Ali for 17, but Stokes would finish the job with an over to spare.

Stokes completed the innings with an unbeaten 52 off 49 deliveries in what ended up being a match-winning performance.

The win makes England the first side to hold the T20 and ODI World Cup trophies simultaneously.

Sam Curran was also crowned the player of the tournament after taking 13 wickets at an average of 11.38.

His wicket tally includes a remarkable 5-10 in their opening match against Afghanistan.