England won the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia after defeating Pakistan in the final on Sunday by 5 wickets. England's Sam Curran won twin accolades as he was adjudged both the Player of the Tournament and the Man of the Match for the finals. As England restricted Pakistan to a below par score of 137/8 after 20 overs, Curran was the leader of the bowling attack with a brilliant 3/12 in 4 overs.
Despite the starring performance, Curran did not appear to think himself as deserving of the Man of the Match. “Very special. I don’t think I should be getting this. I think the way Stokesy (Ben Stokes) played out there. To get a fifty in the finals. He does it so many times for us. We gonna enjoy this occasion, very special,” the final Man of the Match and Player of the Tournament said after his team won the T20 World Cup 2022 final.
Curran’s teammate Ben Stokes played an equally, if not more, pivotal role in the final for England. Stokes contributed both with the bat and the ball. He dismissed Pakistan’s Iftikhar Ahmed for a duck, finishing 1/32 from 4 overs. However, Stokes saved his best for the final as he crucially anchored the England innings after Pakistan dismissed skipper and main batsman Jos Buttler with 93 runs still to get. Stokes scored his maiden T20 fifty in the final and took England home with a late partnership with Moeen Ali.
While Curran might feel that his Man of the Match award should have gone to Stokes, the 24-year-old was the pick of the bowlers at the T20 World Cup 2022. While not the leading wicket taker, the title for which goes to Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga, Curran was the most impactful. He was the second highest wicket taker with 13 scalps with a brilliant economy of 11.38. He also had the best bowling figure of the tournament, taking 5/10 against Afghanistan.
With the T20 World Cup 2022 final win against Pakistan, England become only the second nation to win the title twice after West Indies. They also become the first team in cricket history to be the ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup champion at the same time.
READ | Sam Curran wins ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Player of the Tournament award
