T20 World Cup 2022 final: Babar Azam reveals the main reason behind Pakistan’s defeat against England

Sam Curran and Ben Stokes powered England to their second ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title after 2010. They defeated Pakistan by five wickets in a low-scoring final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday, November 13.

However, it was not a one-sided affair as Pakistan bowlers made England batters sweat to chase a target of 138. While fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf made it difficult for England to keep their wickets, all-rounder Ben Stokes kept calm and led his team over the finish line.

After the match, Pakistan captain Babar Azam denied that his team felt the pressure of the occasion and highlighted the key reason behind their defeat.

Shaheen sustained the injury in the 13th over of the second innings. He returned to bowl the 15th over but had to go off the field after bowling the first delivery.

Throwing light on Pakistan’s T20 World Cup campaign, which started with two last-ball defeats and ended with a great final against England, Babar said that the early setback was unexpected.

“We weren’t expecting to lose the first two; people and us both. But how we’ve come back; grabbed chances, I’m proud of the team as a captain.

India have retained their number 1 spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20I rankings despite a semifinal exit from the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2022.

The Rohit Sharma-led Team India faced a humiliating defeat against Jos Buttler’s England at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday (November 10) and crashed out of the tournament. However, the loss in the knockout game did not hamper India’s top position in the T20I team rankings. They will continue as the No.1 side albeit of England lifting the T20 WC trophy at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday, November 13.

England pulled off the summit clash by defeating Pakistan and became the first team in limited-overs cricket history to hold both ODI and T20 World Cups together.

Star all-rounder Ben Stokes (52 not out off 49 balls), just like the 2019 ODI World Cup, anchored England’s chase despite occasional scratchiness and hit the winning runs on the last ball of the 19th over. With this five-wicket win over Pakistan, England regained their T20WC title, which they had previously won in 2010 on the Caribbean Island.

Willey missed a skier off his own bowling which could have ended Iftikhar Ahmed’s knock before he found the outside edge of the right-hander as Pakistan slipped to 33-3 inside the batting powerplay.

England strangled Pakistan’s struggling middle-order through pace as Pakistan never looked to challenge a strong total.

Masood, who hit his second half century of the series after making his T20 debut at Karachi, fell against Woakes when he was brilliantly snapped by a diving Adil Rashid at short third-man in the penultimate over of the innings.

“When me and Rizwan got out, then Shan (Masood) and Shadab (Khan) built a partnership… But after Shadab got out, we had a collapse, and we did not finish well.”

Winless after two matches, Pakistan will now face the Netherlands in a must-win match on Sunday and Babar vowed to come back strongly.

“We have two days, and we’ll sit together and discuss the mistakes and then we’ll come back strongly.”