Pakistan vs England LIVE! Stokes heroics – T20 World Cup final match stream, latest score, TV and prediction
Stokes #Stokes
England this morning are aiming to win their second T20 World Cup title, a feat which would see them become the first team to be both ODI and T20 world champions at the same time. This could be the last dance for a number of the squad – including Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan and Adil Rashid – though Jos Buttler insists otherwise.
England are without Dawid Malan and Mark Wood, who both missed the semi-final through injury as well, so Chris Jordan and Phil Salt keep their places in the XI. Pakistan are also unchanged from their semi-final win over New Zealand.
England will know their best chance to make history is to keep star quarter of quicks Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim and leg-spinner Shadab Khan quiet. Follow Standard Sport’s dedicated LIVE blog below, including expert insight and analysis from cricket correspondent Malik Ouzia.
T20 World Cup final latest
11:41 , Malik Ouzia
It won’t surprise you to hear that Sweet Caroline is blaring already. England are the first men’s team to ever hold the 50-over and T20 world titles at the same time.
11:39 , Malik Ouzia
A huge roar from Ben Stokes. What a difference from five years ago, when it was his final over dispatched by Carlos Brathwaite to give West Indies the World Cup.
11:37 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 138/5 (19.0 overs)
Stokes 52, Livingstone 1
England win by five wickets!
England win the T20 World Cup!
11:36 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 137/5 (18.4 overs)
Stokes 51, Livingstone 1
Liam Livingstone the new man in and on strike, six needed but he’s not tempted into the big shot, just nudging the single to give Stokes the strike back.
Full toss, Stokes times it brilliantly and – remarkably – Stokes brings up his first ever T20I half-century.
One to win…
11:33 , Malik Ouzia
WICKET! Moeen b Wasim 19
ENG 132/5 (18.2 overs)
Moeen gives himself room but Wasim is too clever and bowls him with a cracking yorker.
Moeen can be happy with his work, though, 19 off 13 that has helped swing this final England’s way.
11:31 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 131/4 (18.0 overs)
Stokes 46, Moeen 19
So, England need just 12 off three overs and Babar has to go back to Haris Rauf. Only wickets will do for Pakistan.
Stokes wants this done, haring back for a risky second and they get there. Seven from 12 needed.
11:27 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 126/4 (17.0 overs)
Stokes 42, Moeen 18
Is that the game done? Suddenly England are motoring, Moeen going over the top for four more. Belief draining from Pakistan.
Four more! Clubbed into the leg side behind square, no one there.
Top edge! It’s all going England’s way, four more to Moeen.
11:22 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 110/4 (16.0 overs)
Stokes 39, Moeen 4
Do England get after him? Stokes tries to and thinks he’s a goner!
Goes down the ground, knows he hasn’t got it, thinks he’s picked out the man. Doesn’t carry, though.
Shot! Stokes gets a bit of width and frees the arms, middles it through extra cover again.
Six! This is the over! Ben Stokes has come alive, same area of the ground but all the way this time.
Suddenly, England need 28 off four overs to win the World Cup.
11:19 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 97/4 (15.1 overs)
Stokes 28, Moeen 3
Shaheen is back into the attack. Is he fit? England have actually crept below the DLS par score now.
Afridi can hardly move here, hobbling through his run-up and still presenting a peach of a seam. Just the one ball and he’s going off. How crucial could that be – Pakistan were banking on two more overs from him at the death.
Iftikhar Ahmed will have to bowl.
11:17 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 97/4 (15.0 overs)
Stokes 28, Moeen 3
The crowd are up and not only because Shaheen is back on the field. Haris Rauf is back into the attack.
Has this carried? Nope, not quite, as Stokes edges firmly to backwards point.
Stokes has a huge heave and gets no bat on it but then drills through extra cover for a much-needed boundary.
England needed 61 off 10 overs – they’ve had half of them and are still 41 runs away.
11:11 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 89/4 (14.0 overs)
Stokes 21, Moeen 2
Naseem Shah in for his final over. He’s been brilliant without reward so far. The run rate is just starting to creep up here with the dots – and the pressure – building.
Just two runs off the over.
11:07 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 87/4 (13.0 overs)
Stokes 20, Moeen 1
Making that catch, Shaheen seems to have done himself a mischief. Not sure if it’s his knee as he slides.
Anyway, Moeen is in at six for England. 51 from 42 needed.
11:04 , Malik Ouzia
WICKET! Brook c Afridi b Shadab 20
ENG 84/4 (12.3 overs)
WinViz has England at 85 percent here. It might be going down a fraction now though!
Brook goes over cover and Shaheen is onto it like a flash, running in off the boundary to take sliding catch.
11:01 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 82/3 (12.0 overs)
Brook 18, Stokes 18
Naseem Shah is back. Haris Rauf, incidentally, spent some time off the field after his last over and is back on but doesn’t look to be moving especially easily.
Mind you, he’s shifted here. That is an unbelievable diving stop on the boundary to save a run and the MCG rises when the replay is shown.
How many times has Naseem beaten the outside edge here? Does Stokes a couple more times.
And again! Pakistan are convinced it’s taken an edge this time and at the last second Babar sends it upstairs…
10:55 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 79/3 (11.0 overs)
Brook 15, Stokes 18
Run-out chance!
Stokes nails to Nawaz at cover who picks up and throws sharply. Brook wasn’t even really looking for the run but was backing up and the fielding was so swift that had it hit the stumps he would’ve been a goner.
10:50 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 77/3 (10.0 overs)
Brook 14, Stokes 17
Misfield gifts England a single – can’t afford many of those, Pakistan.
Nor deliveries like that. Wasim misses his yorker, goes too full and Stokes helps it through the offside for four.
That’s ten overs done, too, so whatever happens now with the weather, this game will be settled today.
10:46 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 69/3 (9.0 overs)
Brook 12, Stokes 11
Harry Brook needed a bit of treatment but it looks like he’ll be grand. Stokes on strike as Shadab continues, tries to reverse sweep and gets a little bottom edge on it that trickles past the stumps and away for four.
A bit of calm, which suits England more than Pakistan. They’re halfway there.
10:40 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 61/3 (8.0 overs)
Brook 10, Stokes 5
The required rate is only a smidge more than a run-a-ball so Pakistan need to remain on the attack here. They still need wickets.
An over of relative calm, a little loose from Wasim, though he follows Brook well with his final delivery and the Yorkshire man wears a painful one on the arm.
10:34 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 54/3 (7.0 overs)
Brook 7, Stokes 3
Babar turns to spin as soon as the powerplay is over as Shadab comes on and immediately beats the outside edge of Brook’s bat.
England need to run these twos hard and use the outfield as Pakistan did at times.
10:30 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 49/3 (6.0 overs)
Brook 4, Stokes 1
Harry Brook, who had been in brilliant form all year until this tournament started but has not made a run since it began, is in at five.
He’s got four of them there, mind. Cracking little stroke through midwicket.
End of the powerplay. Couldn’t call it.
10:28 , Malik Ouzia
WICKET! Buttler c Rizwan b Rauf 26
ENG 45/3 (5.3 overs)
Rauf to bowl the final over of the powerplay. And he’s got the big wicket!
Buttler edges through to Rizwan and Buttler is on his way. My, oh my this is finely poised now!
10:24 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 43/2 (5.0 overs)
Buttler 26, Stokes 0
Chasing 138, run rate isn’t an issue for England, though of course there is the possibility of some rain, still, and they’ll have to keep an eye on DLS.
Stokes, you’d think, will play the sensible, anchor innings here but that’s easier said than done because Naseem is finding movement. Too much there, though, as it swings down the leg side and beats Rizwan. Five wides.
Buttler cannot get bat on it all of a sudden, Naseem beating the edge three times and finally a slip will come in.
Wow! That’s how you relive the pressure. Buttler on the scoop, all the way for six. Some stones on him.
10:17 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 32/2 (4.0 overs)
Buttler 20, Stokes 0
So it’s Ben Stokes and it’s Jos Buttler. We’ve been here before, haven’t we?
10:15 , Malik Ouzia
WICKET! Salt c Iftikhar b Rauf 10
ENG 32/2 (3.3 overs)
Haris Rauf into the attack. Had a cracking series against England on the eve of this tournament but Phil Salt enjoyed some success there, too, and clips him square off his pads for four to start the over.
Gone now though! Picks out Iftikhar Ahmed at midwicket and England are two-down. Not a great shot.
10:11 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 28/1 (3.0 overs)
Salt 6, Buttler 20
Now then. Full ball from Shaheen, looks like it’s hit Salt high on the thigh but it’s dipping and Pakistan want a look at this. Phew. Salt survives, impact just about outside leg stump.
Jos Buttler is in the groove here, I tell you. Times beautifully through midwicket again and picks up another boundary.
10:05 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 21/1 (2.0 overs)
Salt 5, Buttler 15
Naseem Shah into the attack, Pakistan on the prowl. His first ball swings away again but Jos Buttler drives the second beautifully through the covers for the first boundary of the innings. And again!
Cracking response from the England captain.
Phil Salt is in to bat for the first time in the tournament and he’s up and running with an inside edge that runs fine for four more. Profitable over for England after the loss of that early wicket.
10:00 , Malik Ouzia
WICKET! Hales b Afridi 1
ENG 7/1 (1.0 overs)
Wow. Best of luck with that.
It’s an absolute beauty from Shaheen Shah Afridi, back through the gate and Hales is beaten all ends up as the ball clatters into the stumps.
Just what Pakistan needed.
09:59 , Malik Ouzia
ENG 7/0 (0.5 overs)
Buttler 6, Hales 1
A little straight from Shaheen and Buttler flicks it into the leg-side off his toes. Huge boundary and it won’t get there but they get through for three comfortably.
A little push and Hales is off the mark, too.
Ooof, that’s more like it. Better length from Afridi and it nips past the outside edge. He thinks it’s taken it but no one else is interested.
09:54 , Malik Ouzia
Here come Alex Hales and Jos Buttler. These two can finish this final themselves, as they showed against India.
But Pakistan’s trump card is their bowling. Shaheen Shah Afridi will open up and you can bet that if there’s any swing on offer, he’ll find it.
09:47 , Malik Ouzia
Well, it’s a World Cup final, we’ve seen some turn in the pitch and this certainly won’t be straightforward for England.
But my word, they’d have taken that a couple of hours ago.
09:44 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 137/8 (20.0 overs)
Afridi 5, Raud 1
Much needed boundary! Off the top edge, over the ‘keeper.
England need 138 to win the T20 World Cup.
09:41 , Malik Ouzia
WICKET! Wasim c Livingstone b Jordan 4
PAK 131/8 (19.3 overs)
Into the final over then, Jordan to bowl it and Pakistan in need of a huge finish. Couple of swings, couple of misses, good start from CJ.
There are lots of glum Pakistan faces in the crowd.
They’re even glummer now! Wasim heaves and the magnet that is Livingstone is under it.
09:38 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 131/7 (19.0 overs)
Afridi 1, Wasim 4
Sam Curran finishes his first World Cup final with figures of 3-12. Some player.
09:36 , Malik Ouzia
WICKET! Nawaz c Livingstone b Curran 5
PAK 129/7 (18.3 overs)
Curran’s got another and Pakistan are going down in tame fashion here. Clipped straight to Livingstone in the deep.
09:33 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 127/6 (18.0 overs)
Wasim 3, Nawaz 3
Dropped!
Wasim drives to Brook at point, who dives, seems to have it but can’t hold on. There’s an overthrow to rub salt in the wound and Pakistan get three.
Two to go.
09:30 , Malik Ouzia
WICKET! Shadab c Woakes b Jordan 20
PAK 123/6 (17.2 overs)
Pakistan are in real, real trouble now. Shadab up in the air, pouched by Woakes and they’re going to have to rely on some hitting from the bowlers to give them something to bowl at.
09:28 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 122/5 (17.0 overs)
Nawaz 1, Shadab 20
Mohammad Nawaz in at seven. Curran has one over left and has got figures of 2-8 so far.
09:26 , Malik Ouzia
WICKET! Masood c Livingstone b Curran 38
PAK 121/5 (16.3 overs)
And they have broken it!
Of course, it’s Sam Curran! What a tournament he’s having. Shan Masood picks out Livingstone at midwicket and Pakistan are five-down.
09:22 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 119/4 (16.0 overs)
Masood 36, Shadab 20
Ben Stokes returns, so he is going to get through his full quota in this final. You’d imagine it’ll be two each from Sam Curran and Chris Jordan after this.
Shadab nails through cover and Salt comes sprinting round the boundary after it. He’s quick and he gets there but can only parry and momentum takes both it and him into the sponge.
Much better fielding on the opposite boundary as Curran hooks it back for Livingstone to throw, though it only saves a run.
England could do with breaking this partnership.
09:17 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 106/4 (15.0 overs)
Masood 34, Shadab 10
Chris Jordan returns and immediately pings Masood on the helmet. He’ll be fine but there’s a pause while all the mandatory checks are carried out.
Shadab gets a hefty edge down towards Alex Hales at third man but it won’t get to him.
Shot. Masood gets on top of the bounce and drives down into the deck and through cover for four.
09:10 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 98/4 (14.0 overs)
Masood 28, Shadab 8
Adil Rashid in for his final spell. Ideally you’d say Pakistan should just see him out but can they afford to let an over pass?
No, is the answer and that’s a lovely shot from Shadab. Didn’t go hard at it but times it perfectly back over the bowler’s head for four.
Rashid is done – he finishes with figures of 2-22. Brilliant spell.
09:07 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 90/4 (14.0 overs)
Masood 26, Shadab 2
Shadab Khan in at six. Pakistan do not bat anything like as deep as England so you’d think these two are going to have to get the bulk of the runs to get them up to something like a defendable total.
09:04 , Malik Ouzia
WICKET! Iftikhar c Buttler b Stokes 0
PAK 85/4 (13.2 overs)
Got him! England on a roll now! Iftikhar feathers behind and Pakistan are four down.
09:00 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 84/3 (12.0 overs)
Masood 23, Iftikhar 0
Rashid is finding bags of turn here and England are on the attack with Moeen in at slip. Iftikhar Ahmed is in at five.
Wicket maiden. Sensational from Rashid.
08:58 , Malik Ouzia
WICKET! Babar c&b Rashid 32
PAK 84/3 (11.1 overs)
Rashid does it again! First ball of the over, Babar doesn’t pick the googly, fiddles one back at the bowler and Rashid makes the ground well to take a smart diving catch.
08:56 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 84/2 (11.0 overs)
Babar 32, Masood 23
Liam Livingstone to turn his arm over now. Shan comes down the track and nails one straight back at the all-rounder, who holds it well.
Ooof, no stopping that though. Creamed through Livingstone, through Babar, through the umpire and down the ground for four.
Six! Shan Masood is taking Livingstone down here. He doesn’t even get all of this and it goes a mile in the air but it’s long enough.
Excellent over for Pakistan.
08:51 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 68/2 (10.0 overs)
Babar 29, Masood 11
These two are content to just rotate strike as Rashid returns. England’s fielders are edging closer in off the rope in a bid to stop these twos.
Misfield from Curran, though, and they’ll come back anyway. That’s the halfway stage.
08:47 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 59/2 (9.0 overs)
Babar 27, Masood 5
Chris Jordan into the attack and Babar tucks nicely off the hip, finds a gap behind square and gets four.
Again, Pakistan using these huge boundaries to scamper the twos.
08:43 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 50/2 (8.0 overs)
Babar 22, Masood 1
He had a quiet start to the tournament but my word has Adil Rashid come alive in these last few games.
Shan Masood the new man in, who won’t play with anything like the intent of the man he’s replaced.
08:40 , Malik Ouzia
WICKET! Haris c Stokes b Rashid 8
PAK 45/2 (7.1 overs)
Adil Rashid into the attack then – and strikes first ball!
Haris goes on the attack again but doesn’t get all of it and Ben Stokes settles under the ball to take a routine catch.
08:38 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 45/1 (7.0 overs)
Babar 18, Haris 8
A ploy we’ve seen pretty regularly from England as Ben Stokes returns to bowl the first over after the powerplay. Gives Buttler a bit of wiggle room later on.
Haris clubs one down the ground but it plugs in the surface and Jordan goes haring after it to save the boundary.
08:35 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 39/1 (6.0 overs)
Babar 16, Haris 4
That’s a freebie. Woakes continues into a third over and again strays leg-side, Babar helping it round the corner and away to the fence.
Babar isn’t looking in great rhythm though, mistiming the next up in the air but safely over the head of Jordan.
Edged! Haris this time but it doesn’t quite carry to Phil Salt.
Ugh, that’s frustrating for England. Woakes coughs up another wide with what should have been the final ball of the powerplay and Haris punishes him by lifting the extra fine for four.
08:29 , Malik Ouzia
Babar 11, Haris 0
PAK 29/1 (5.0 overs)
Mohammad Haris is the new man in, the 21-year-old who has had an impressive tournament so far. He’s straight on the attack but gets no bat on it as he comes charging down the track.
A brilliant over from Curran, just one run from it and the big wicket of Rizwan.
WICKET! 08:26 , Malik Ouzia
Rizwan b Curran 15
PAK 29/1 (4.2 overs)
Rizwan with one of the more needless dives – his entire body is past the line by the time the ball arrives – and he’s hurt himself in the process. Looks like his helmet jarred as he hit the deck and it’s hurt him just below the eye.
And now he’s a goner!
Did that just unsettle him a touch? Either way, he drives at one outside off from Curran and chops onto his own stumps. Big breakthrough.
08:21 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 28/0 (4.0 overs)
Babar 10, Rizwan 15
Six!
First one of the final. Rizwan sweeps the first ball of Woakes second over high over the square-leg boundary. It’s a long way out there but he just about clears the rope.
08:16 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 16/0 (3.0 overs)
Babar 6, Rizwan 7
A change straight away in the bowling as Sam Curran is thrown the ball.
After that close-shave in the first over, these two are running well early on. With these huge boundaries, the legs are going to get through some miles tonight.
Terrific start from Curran.
08:13 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 12/0 (2.0 overs)
Babar 5, Rizwan 4
Chris Woakes from the other end and it’s a nervy start from him, too, as he chucks one down the leg side. Buttler does well to hold onto it as it swings back after passing the stumps.
Not especially convincing from Babar, who tries to whip Woakes through midwicket but chips up in the air. No fielder there, though.
Decent over from Woakes, just four from it.
08:06 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 8/0 (1.0 overs)
Babar 3, Rizwan 3
Run-out chance!
Rizwan creams straight to Chris Jordan at mid-off and sets off. Direct-hit and he’s a goner but Jordan misses. He’s such a good fielder and will be frustrated with that.
Nervy starts with both bat and ball.
08:03 , Malik Ouzia
PAK 2/0 (0.1 overs)
Babar 0, Rizwan 0
It is Ben Stokes and there’s a bit of swing on show, Rizwan plays a straight bat… and it’s a no-ball!
Stokes oversteps and the first ball of the final is a no-ball.
Free-hit… that’s down the leg-side, wide, he’ll have to bowl that again.
Bit of bounce, into the ribs. No run. Eventful start.
07:58 , Malik Ouzia
Anthems done, it’s showtime. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, the form opening pair in world cricket over the last few years, against the new ball and England’s seamers.
Will it be Ben Stokes to open up again, or will Jos Buttler mix things up?
07:55 , Malik Ouzia
God Save The King up first. Tymal Mills, not in the side today, is absolutely beaming.
07:51 , Malik Ouzia
Here we go then. The teams are just about to make their way out for the national anthems. Still it remains dry…
07:44 , Malik Ouzia
It is absolutely rocking at the MCG. Former England captain Eoin Morgan is on the television coverage and is having to shout to make himself heard.
Here’s Jos Buttler speaking at the toss… 07:38 , Malik Ouzia
“There is a great energy around the stadium and we are looking forward to a great game.
“I think both teams come into this in red hot form and we look forward to a tough challenge. I think it looks a good wicket. Hopefully it stays that way. There is a bit of weather around which is why we chose to bowl first.
“We start fresh today. We bring confidence from the other day but it counts for nothing today.”
Pakistan also unchanged… 07:29 , Malik Ouzia
England XI: Hales, Buttler (c, wk), Salt, Stokes, Brook, Livingstone, Moeen, Curran, Woakes, Jordan, Rashid
Pakistan XI: Babar (c), Rizwan (wk), Haris, Masood, Ahmed, Shadab, Nawaz, Wasim, Afridi, Rauf, Naseem
England unchanged 07:24 , Malik Ouzia
No Mark Wood or Dawid Malan for England, so Chris Jordan and Phil Salt keep their places in the same team that faced India in the semi-final.
England win the toss! 07:24 , Malik Ouzia
Unsurprisingly, Jos Buttler decides to have a bowl. Team news to follow…
07:17 , Malik Ouzia
England fans were in a hefty minority in Adelaide for their semi-final against India and it looks likely to be the case in Melbourne again today – where, with 13 minutes until the toss, it is miraculously still dry.
Still no rain in Melbourne…
The toss will be very interesting. England had had more success batting first of late but historically have preferred chasing and did so brilliantly in the semi-final.
The weather might make that all irrelevant anyways – batting second, and therefore knowing the lay of the land, could be a significant advantage should rain shorten the game.
Rain, rain, go away 06:46 , Malik Ouzia Pakistan chasing 1992 repeat 06:39 , Malik Ouzia
There are eerie parallels between the Pakistan side that memorably won the 1992 50-over World Cup and the campaign they have had here: early setbacks, three wins in a row to squeak into the knockout rounds and beating New Zealand in the semi-final to set up an MCG showdown against England.
Pakistan will have their fingers crossed history repeats itself as they defeated Graham Gooch’s England 30 years ago. Ramiz Raja, the Pakistan Cricket Board chair, opened the batting on that day and regaled the contemporary side about that famous 22-run win earlier this week in an effort to inspire them.
A couple of issues remain for England who were of course without Mark Wood and Dawid Malan against India, the former complaining of stiffness and the latter having tweaked a groin during England’s final group game against Sri Lanka.
Both trained yesterday but were still rated as unlikely to play, though Jos Buttler did indicate that late calls would be made on both.
“They’re both improving,” Buttler said. “It’s not too many days since they weren’t fit enough for the semi-final, but we’ll give them every chance possible.”
Prediction 06:16 , Malik Ouzia
The bookmakers have England as marginal favourites after their ten-wicket destruction of India in the semi-final and they just about have the recent edge between the sides after that 4-3 series victory on the eve of the tournament.
Pakistan, though, are blessed with probably the best bowling attack in world cricket so it feels like a real toss up.
We’ll plump for England to get it done – just.
How to watch for FREE on UK TV 06:14 , Malik Ouzia
TV channel: Sky have agreed that Sunday’s final can be shown live free-to-air on Channel 4, with coverage beginning at 8am GMT.
The game is also still being shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket, with the show beginning at the earlier time of 7am.
Live stream: The match can be streamed online for free via the Channel 4 website and All 4, while Sky Sports subscribers can also catch it via the Sky Go app.
Atmosphere building… 06:10 , Malik Ouzia
We are scheduled to get underway at 8am UK time at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and while that hasn’t looked likely for much of the past few days according to the weather forecast, so far things are dry.
Still 80-odd minutes until the toss for that to remain the case but fingers crossed…
Hello and welcome to the Evening Standard’s LIVE coverage of the T20 World Cup final between Pakistan and England in Melbourne.
We’re set to get underway at 8am GMT (7pm local time), though there remains a significant threat of rain and thunderstorms.
Stick with us as England try to make history.