Pakistan has won the T20 World Cup for a record sixth time after beating India by 10 wickets in the final on Sunday night. Ali Shan’s innings of 87 not out saw them chase down their target with six overs to spare.
| Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup |
| Kohli 57 (49), Pant 39; Shaheen 3-31; India 151-7 in 20 overs |
| Rizwan 78* (55), Babar 68*, Pakistan 152-0 (17.5 overs) (52) |
| Pakistan wins by a ten-wicket margin. |
| Scorecard |
At the Men’s T20 World Cup in Dubai, Pakistan thrashed India by 10 wickets to earn a memorable victory over their arch-rivals.
Mohammad Rizwan scored an undefeated 78 and skipper Babar Azam was 68 not out as Pakistan won their first World Cup match against India.
After Babar struck the winning runs, both players soared into the air before the squad joined together to celebrate a memorable night in Pakistani cricket history.
Despite an exciting 3-31 from quick bowler Shaheen Afridi, Virat Kohli had earlier scored 57 to lead India in their 151-7.
It’s the first time Pakistan has won a T20 by ten wickets, and it’s also the first time India has lost by ten wickets.
The first match between these two teams since the 2019 World Cup was played in front of a sold-out crowd in Dubai.
The audience, which included Bollywood stars and former players, was never quiet.
Pakistan stunned India, one of the tournament favorites, with a stunning batting effort, reversing a lengthy pattern of losing to India in important tournaments.
At the conclusion of the innings, Pakistan came together in a huddle to celebrate their miraculous victory.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were congratulated by Virat Kohli on their triumph.
Pakistan has changed the course of history.
Some may have projected a victory for Pakistan. But no one could have predicted such a huge triumph.
Not only was history on their side, but Pakistan had a difficult build-up to the World Cup, with coaches resigning and England and New Zealand canceling trips to the nation.
However, Pakistan fans, who stayed in Dubai until the very end while India supporters streamed out, would find this victory difficult to believe.
Rizwan smacked a six into the stands on the third ball of the reply, and he and Babar seldom looked worried after that.
They smashed the bowling all over the place, and their sprinting, which hasn’t always been Pakistan’s strong point, was excellent, with both players alert to fast singles.
With the 13th over of the run chase departing for 16 runs, Babar completed his 41-ball half-century with a magnificent six off Varun Chakravarthy.
Rizwan was similarly potent, putting Pakistan on the verge of victory by smashing Mohammad Shami for a six and two fours in a row.
Kohli congratulated Rizwan and Babar immediately, and the two leaders exchanged hugs before the players raced to their teammates to celebrate together.
On the grandest platform, Kohli and Shaheen shine.
After the second half of the Indian Premier League, which was contested in the United Arab Emirates, ended a few weeks ago, India came into this event with several of its players in high condition.
Shaheen, one of the world’s fastest bowlers, required just three deliveries to make an impact, pinning the in-form Rohit lbw with a sharp yorker.
In his second over, he struck again, this time cutting past KL Rahul’s defences to leave India scrambling.
Kohli, who will stand down as T20 skipper at the conclusion of the tournament, is one of cricket’s most combative characters, a player who thrives on the challenge of digging his team out of a hole.
Kohli smashed a six over long-on in the same over when KL Rahul fell, desperate not to let Shaheen overpower him. He also soothed Pant, who had been agitated in the early portions of his innings, allowing them to put up a 53-run partnership.
Kohli made his 29th T20 half-century and seemed to be in good shape going into the final overs. It took the return of Shaheen to put an end to his stay, with the Pakistani dismissing him in international cricket for the first time.
Pakistan were fairly disciplined in the last overs, with their bowlers giving the best foundation they could for the hitters. Shaheen delivered a no ball that went for four and then gave five overthrows.
The contest that is broadcast all over the globe
This long-running rivalry has always piqued people’s interest.
Three years ago, their World Cup match drew a global broadcast viewership of 273 million viewers, and this year’s match did not disappoint…
Fans in India watched the game from a cinema in Allahabad.
‘What a triumph!’ – as said by them
“I think those early wickets from our bowlers, Shaheen’s wickets gave us confidence, and then the spinners bowled with confidence, and we were satisfied with our death bowling as well,” Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said.
“We’ll take it one match at a time to gain confidence; there’s still a long way to go in this tournament.”
“We didn’t execute the things we wanted to, but credit where credit is due,” India captain Virat Kohli said. Today, Pakistan clearly outplayed us.
“We knew we needed a competitive total, but they didn’t take any risks with us and were quite professional.”
“We are not a group that panics when things go wrong. It’s the beginning of the tournament, not the conclusion, so maintain your composure.”
Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, former IPL hitter, on Test Match Special: “To win by ten wickets, you couldn’t have written it any better. What a triumph, they’ve done it in style. Emphatic.”
