THE final was in the balance with four overs to play, with Pakistan marginally ahead of England on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern par score. The threat of rain, though, did not materialise. Had the skies opened up, Pakistan would be the Twenty20 World Cup champions.

Instead, that over changed everything for Babar Azam’s men in a low-scoring title clash at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground — the scene of Pakistan’s sole 50-over World Cup triumph three decades ago. Two wickets in two balls from Wasim Akram had turned the game in Pakistan’s favour then.

This time, Pakistan saw their pace spearhead succumb to injury. Shaheen Shah Afridi twisted his knee while taking a catch to dismiss Harry Brook and leave England at 84-4 in the 13th over while chasing 138.

Having been assessed by the team doctors, Shaheen returned to the field but came unstuck after the first delivery of the 16th over. Part-timer Iftikhar Ahmed, tasked to complete the over, was belted away for a four and a six by Ben Stokes, and England won with an over to spare to join the West Indies as the only other side to have won the T20 World Cup twice. They also became the undisputed kings of limited-overs cricket, adding this to the ODI World Cup they won in 2019.

Comment: England triumph as final turns on Shaheen’s injury

Pakistan were left contemplating what could have been. They had seemed destined for the title, and could have done well had their batting fared better. Put into bat, openers Babar and Mohammad Rizwan weren’t able to provide the foundation that had led Pakistan to their victory over New Zealand in the semi-final. Their struggle throughout the tournament resurfaced in the final.

The middle order, which had been key for Pakistan during their run in Australia, failed to fire. However, Pakistan can take heart from the way their bowlers kept them in the hunt, especially against a side that had torn apart India in the semi-final.

They can draw inspiration from the way they bounced back after suffering last-ball defeats to India and Zimbabwe in their opening two matches. In reaching the final, they showed that Pakistan remain a force to be reckoned with in world cricket. In fact, this should spur them on to greater success. This should be a springboard to improve in other formats of the game — in particular, the 50-over format with the ODI World Cup set to be held in almost a year’s time.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2022