ICC T20 World Cup 2022: England Won, Beat Pakistan in Final at MCG, Hales 52 and Buttler 26 Not Out

The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 was the eighth edition of the T20 World Cup, hosted in Australia at venues including the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground, Adelaide Oval, Optus Stadium in Perth, and the Gabba in Brisbane, in October and November 2022. England, captained by Jos Buttler, came into the tournament as one of the strongest T20 sides in world cricket — with a batting lineup of Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales (returning to international cricket after a three-year absence), Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, and a bowling attack featuring Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, and Sam Curran. Pakistan, captained by Babar Azam, were the other primary contenders, with a pace attack including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf that had been dominant against opposing batting lineups in the Asia Cup in September 2022.

England's Route to the Final and Semi-Final vs India

England's path through the Super 12 stage was disrupted by rain and DLS — a match against Australia at the MCG was washed out and shared — but they qualified for the semi-finals from Group 1 alongside Australia. In the semi-final at the Adelaide Oval on 10 November 2022, England defeated India by 10 wickets — a landmark result: Alex Hales scored 86 not out and Jos Buttler scored 80 not out, chasing India's 168 for 6 without losing a wicket. The win was England's most comprehensive knockout victory at a T20 World Cup and set up the final against Pakistan at the MCG.

The Final: England Beat Pakistan at the MCG

In the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 13 November 2022 in front of a crowd of approximately 80,000, Pakistan batted first and scored 137 for 8. Sam Curran took 3 wickets for 12 runs in his 4-over allocation — the key bowling performance of the match. England, chasing 138, lost wickets early but were guided home by Alex Hales (52 not out from 40 balls) and Jos Buttler (26 not out from 17 balls) who saw England to their target with 5 wickets in hand and 2 balls remaining. England were T20 World Cup champions for the second time — their first title since 2010. Sam Curran was named Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament for his bowling performances across the competition.