Big-match hero Stokes delivers for England yet again after Curran puts the skids on Pakistan

The south paw scores an unbeaten half-century as the seamer (three for 12) comes up with a miserly spell and is well-supported by leggie Rashid (two for 22)

A steady procession of Pakistani fans nearly filled the Melbourne Cricket Ground. There were England supporters too, but they were lost in a sea of green that spread across the stands. Yet, Jos Buttler’s men felt at home. And as a Sunday night waned, England seized the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, winning the summit clash by five wickets.

The final was seemingly heading England’s way once Pakistan’s diffident batters mustered 137 for eight. However, the fast bowlers from the stables that produced Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, prised out early wickets.

A contest of small margins began to take shape but Buttler’s men, conscious of the DLS par score linked to the rain-threat, kept hustling the runs. Barring the odd feathery drizzle, the weather gods were kind and with Ben Stokes (52 n.o.) showing the way, England finished with 138 for five in 19 overs.

It wasn’t easy though as England suffered a jolt in the first over. Shaheen Afridi darted one back and castled Alex Hales. The pressure marginally dissipated in the second over as Buttler clipped fours off Naseem Shah and Philip Salt inner-edged past fine-leg. However, Salt hit Haris Rauf straight to short mid-wicket and Stokes walked in and witnessed Buttler scoop a six off Shah.

Rauf then scalped Buttler with the catch flying into Mohammad Rizwan’s gloves. Stokes and Harry Brook soldiered on while the Pakistan attack hovered between hostility and the expansive wide. Stokes and Brook added 39 runs for the fourth-wicket before the last-named failed to get past Afridi at long-off and spinner Shadab Khan struck.

But Stokes remained undiminished, he kept muscling his runs and with Moeen Ali for company, waded in to a Mohammad Wasim over. By then Afridi had limped away and Stokes was still there when the winning runs were clipped.

Earlier, Buttler won the toss and elected to field and nerves were evident as Stokes bowled a no-ball, a wide, peddled two free-hits while Rizwan and Babar Azam were finding their feet. In the fourth over, the stands erupted as Rizwan picked a six off Chris Woakes but when Sam Curran (three for 12) steamed in, the opener dragged a ball onto his stumps.