T20 World Cup 2022: "To restrict them to 130, the bowlers have to take a lot of credit" - Ben Stokes after England's title win
England all-rounder Ben Stokes believes that bowlers deserve plenty of credit for beating Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2022 final. The southpaw hailed England for sparking a remarkable comeback after suffering a defeat to Ireland.
England's bowlers did a commendable job after electing to field first. Left-arm seamer Sam Curran became the pick of the bowlers as they restricted Pakistan to 137 in 20 overs. Although England suffered a wobble during the chase, Stokes stayed till the end to get them over the line with five wickets to spare.
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Speaking after an unbeaten 49-ball 52, Stokes stated that restricting Pakistan to 130 was a tremendous effort and recalled how England overcame the baggage of losing to Ireland. As quoted by India Today, he said:
"In finals, especially chasing, you forgot all the hard work that came first. To restrict them to 130, the bowlers have to take a lot of credit. With Ireland being so early in the competition, we had to address it, we can't carry baggage in tournaments. The best teams take it on the chin, and move onto the next challenge. A pretty good evening."
The English Test captain also stayed till the end against Sri Lanka to finish things off. Chasing 142, their middle order collapsed after Jos Buttler and Alex Hales made a flying start. The 31-year-old remained unbeaten at 42 off 36 deliveries to guide England home with four wickets to spare.
Ben Stokes completes a redemption cycle after England's defeat in the 2016 World T20 final
The victory also completed a redemption cycle for the star all-rounder, who conceded four sixes in the last over of the 2016 World T20 final against the West Indies. With 19 required off the final over, Carlos Brathwaite stunned England by hitting four consecutive maximums.
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The Durham all-rounder's spot was also in doubt before the tournament after failing to get going against Australia in the T20 series. However, he has gone from strength to strength and has now helped England win their second ICC tournament in the space of three years.