ENG vs PAK 2022: "Outclassed Pakistan in all departments" - Salman Butt on England's dominant performance in final
Salman Butt believes that England completely outplayed Pakistan in the final of the T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday, November 13.
The former Pakistan captain pointed out that the Men in Green didn't score enough runs in the summit clash, making their bowling unit's task a challenging one. He opined that things may have been a little different had Babar Azam and Co. performed better with the bat.
Butt, however, lauded the Pakistani bowlers for not letting the English batters make a mockery of the sub-par target. He made these remarks while speaking on his YouTube channel following the T20 World Cup 2022 final. He explained:
"England outclassed Pakistan in all departments. I have always maintained that the contest was going to be between Pakistan bowling and England batting. The same happened today, as Pakistan didn't score enough runs.
"The bowlers would have been more effective if they had a better total to defend. However, the Pakistani bowlers did put up a strong fight, dismissing five batters and taking it to the 19th over."
Notably, Pakistan finished at 137/8 in 20 overs after being asked to bat first at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Shan Masood (38) and skipper Babar Azam (32) got off to decent starts, but the other batters failed to make a significant impact.
"Pakistan were at least 20 to 25 runs short" - Salman Butt on the team's total
Butt further went on to say how most of the Pakistani batters perished while attempting to play big shots. He suggested that it wasn't the ideal approach for this particular pitch, given that it was difficult to hit across the line.
The 38-year-old emphasized that players should have rather focused on playing proper cricketing strokes on a tricky surface. He claimed that the side failed to finish their innings with a flurry, as the batters were looking to slog it out. He added:
"Pakistan were at least 20 to 25 runs short. The wicket wasn't such that you could hit it through the line, as the ball was seaming a bit. Batters from both teams found it difficult on this surface.
"You had to play proper cricket, as Shah Masood did. When we were in a position where we needed to score 50 to 55 runs in the final six overs, they again tried to play big shots."
Butt highlighted how Pakistan struggled against Adil Rashid, failing to pick his googly. He noted how even Babar lost his wicket because he couldn't read the leg spinner's wrong one. He remarked:
"We have been repeating the same mistakes. The Pakistani batters aren't able to pick the googly. Even Babar Azam was undone by that today. He tried to play the cut shot, but ended up losing his wicket."
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The Buttler-led side secured a brilliant five-wicket win in the contest to lift the coveted trophy for the second time. Ben Stokes, with his unbeaten knock of 52, helped his team chase down the total in 19 overs.