Pakistan vs England LIVE: T20 Cricket World Cup final result and reaction as Ben Stokes stars

England beat Pakistan by five wickets to the win the World Cup as Stokes was the hero once again

England cricket squad celebrates as they beat Pakistan to claim T20 World Cup

Ben Stokes was the hero with the bat once again as England successfully chased down Pakistan to win the T20 World Cup in a thrilling final in Melbourne.

Stokes produced his highest T20 score - finishing with an unbeaten 52 runs off 49 balls for his first half-century in the format - as the all-rounder produced another sublime performance on the biggest stage.

England were set 138 to win following wonderful bowling from Sam Curran and Adil Rashid and looked odds-on to add to complete the set of World Cups following their victory in the 50-over format in 2019.

But Pakistan responded to slow England’s momentum, removing Alex Hales early and then following with the wicket of Jos Buttler to set up a nervy finish at the MCG.

Stokes, as well as Moeen Ali, stood up to the challenge and turned the tide following a sensational 17th over that produced 16 runs as England swung for the boundaries. Ali was dismissed to leave England needing six runs off their final 10 balls - but Stokes completed his first T20 half-century to win the World Cup for England.

Follow all the reaction from the T20 World Cup final:

Pakistan vs England

• WICKET! Rizwan bowled by Curran for the England breakthrough, 29/1 after 4.2
• SIX! Shan attacks Livingstone with a massive over, 16 from it to kick-start the Pakistan innings, 84/2
• WICKET! Rashid with the googly and makes the smart catch to remove Babar, 84/3 after 11.1
• WICKET! Stokes with line and length and Iftikhar nibbles at it, Buttler takes the catch, 85/4 after 12.2
• WICKET! Jordan gets in on the act, Shadab falls hitting across the line, Woakes with the catch, 123/6 after 17.2
• WICKET! Curran making a play for player of the tournament after grabbing third wicket, 130/7 after 18.5
• WICKET! Afridi with a beauty to clean up Hales, a Pakistan lifeline, 7/1 after 1.0
• WICKET! Salt chips up off Haris with Iftikhar taking the catch, 32/2 after 4.0
• SIX! Audacious from Buttler, a delightful scoop to send Naseem over the ropes, 43/2 after 5.0
• WICKET! Haris Rauf has the prized scalp of Buttler, England in trouble at 49/3 after 6.0
• WICKET! Shadab removes Brook with Afridi sliding in the deep to take the catch, 84/4 after 12.3
• Stokes hits winning runs after maiden T20i half century to secure five-wicket win
• Sam Curran awarded T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament

[13 November 2022 06:53 · Michael Jones]

T20 World Cup organisers tweak final’s rules

The organisers of the Men’s T20 World Cup have changed the playing regulations for today’s final in Melbourne to allow more time in case of rain stoppages.

The tournament been blighted by the weather with rain affecting a bunch of fixtures during the Super 12 stage and bad weather is forecasted in Melbourne for the next two days.

England meet Pakistan at 08:00 GMT on Sunday and a reserve day is scheduled for Monday but, with more rain forecast, two hours have been added to allow play to continue late into Monday evening.

If a bare-minimum 10-over-per-side contest cannot be played on either of the days then England and Pakistan will be declared joint winners.

[13 November 2022 06:45 · Michael Jones]

England thrash India to reach T20 World Cup final thanks to Alex Hales and Jos Buttler fireworks

England surged into the T20 World Cup final as Alex Hales and Jos Buttler made mincemeat of a potentially tricky chase of 169 to chasten India at Adelaide.

Hales pummelled the shorter square boundaries while Buttler was equally dismissive of India’s bowlers in a record-breaking unbroken stand of 170 as England claimed a scarcely credible 10-wicket win.

India were viewed as marginal favourites to set up a mouthwatering marquee match against Pakistan at the MCG on Sunday but Hales (86 not out off 47 balls) and Buttler (80no off 49 deliveries) disabused them of that notion in jaw-dropping fashion.

[13 November 2022 06:37 · Michael Jones]

Pakistan roar into T20 World Cup final with win over New Zealand

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan hit top form in a timely fashion to propel Pakistan into the T20 World Cup final as they overcame New Zealand by seven wickets at Sydney.

The opening pair are widely viewed as two of the best white-ball batters in the world and while they have both had quiet tournaments so far, they flourished when it mattered most against the Black Caps.

A bit of luck was involved as Babar was dropped off his first ball before going on to register 53 off 42 deliveries, taking the sting out of a chase of 153 alongside Rizwan in a 105-run first-wicket stand.

[13 November 2022 06:30 · Michael Jones]

Pakistan vs England

This is it. The T20 World Cup final. A game which will determine who lifts the trophy and goes down in cricketing history and who goes home deflated and defeated.

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the showpiece fixture of the T20 World Cup where England will take on Pakistan at the MCG.

Both teams have gone through difficult campaigns leading to this stage. Pakistan needed to win their final three Super 12 matches to have any hopes of qualifying for the final four and even then they required the help of the Netherlands - who defeated South Africa - to get them through. Babar Azam’s side improved massively in the semi-final and comfortably knocked out New Zealand have chased down a score of 153 with five balls remaining.

England were in a similar predicament. A rain-affected loss to Ireland put them on the back foot in the Super 12 groups and a washout against Australia meant the needed to defeat New Zealand and Sri Lanka to qualify. Thankfully Jos Buttler’s men rose to the challenge and snuck into the final four where they faced India.

What should have been a closely contested game turned into a one-sided affair as England battered India. They won by 10-wickets with exactly four overs to spare and in T20 cricket that is a spanking.

But who will win today? The fate of matches can flip in an over in T20 cricket and these two sides are well matched. England will be the favourites but on their day Pakistan are capable of beating anyone in the world. This one should be a corker.