While there were not many surprises in the two extreme categories, Grade A and Grade B threw in some major news to munch on

Ravindra Jadeja

Axar Patel

Shikhar Dhawan

Ajinkya Rahane

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

India

BCCI Contracts: Fall for Rahane and Bhuvi, but what's up with Dhawan?

We explore one player for every side whose absence can collapse the balance of the playing XI

Rashid Khan

Arshdeep Singh

Deepak Chahar

Rahul Tripathi

Krunal Pandya

Sunil Narine

Dinesh Karthik

Suryakumar Yadav

Shimron Hetmyer

Indian Premier League, 2023

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Lucknow Super Giants

Delhi Capitals

Punjab Kings

Gujarat Titans

Mumbai Indians

Kolkata Knight Riders

Chennai Super Kings

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Rajasthan Royals

IPL 2023: The Irreplaceables ft. Surya, Rashid, Axar, DK

The defending champions have enough firepower in the middle-order to hide their top-order flaws

Hardik Pandya

Shubman Gill

Kane Williamson

Mohammad Shami

Rahul Tewatia

David Miller

Wriddhiman Saha

Alzarri Joseph

IPL 2023 Preview: Attack on Hardik Pandya's Titan(s) at your own peril

An emphasis on specialists helped them reach the finals last time. Can they get two times lucky?

Jos Buttler

Yuzvendra Chahal

Jason Holder

Sanju Samson

Ravichandran Ashwin

Trent Boult

Riyan Parag

IPL 2023 Preview: Can RR do an RRR?

IPL 2023 - Sandeep Sharma joins Rajasthan Royals

The ICC, by the looks of it, may not take any immediate steps to curb the restriction posed by the Taliban on women's cricketers in Afghanistan

Naveen-ul-Haq

Mohammad Nabi

Afghanistan and Pakistan tour of UAE, 3 T20I Series, 2023

Afghanistan

Pakistan

Afghanistan’s historic victory shouldn’t hide the dark side of their governance

It is almost 9.30 PM local time in Sydney, Pakistan have mercilessly trashed New Zealand by five wickets to go to the final. At this point, you would assume that the fans are on their way home, right?The Asian fans are cut from a different cloth, their love is perhaps unheralded to the other cricketing nations. Their criticism too comes out with the same venom and zeal. But the mahool (ambiance) here is one of celebration, as &lsquo;Dil Dil Pakistan&rsquo; is being blared away at full throttle at the Sydney Cricket Ground.There is chatter amongst the fans, some talking about India wanting to qualify, some advising against it. It is almost like your cricketing conversation with friends in a nearby tapri. But as the line &lsquo;Aisy Zameen,&rsquo; is heard, the crowd stops whatever they are doing, to karaoke along to the melody.Pakistan, in this edition of the T20 World Cup, have come out with a different vibe. As the lines &lsquo;Dil Dil Pakistan&rsquo; come along, the crowd goes completely bonkers, as you could feel the Goosebumps around you.&nbsp;<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668423096406-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">And, the junoon to that jazbaa is none other than <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/68996/shadab-khan/articles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shadab Khan</a>, aka Shady bhai. Shadab is just 24 but his influence on the team has been such that you would naturally levitate to add &ldquo;experienced&rdquo; alongside his name.&nbsp;Shadab essentially is the junoon to Pakistan&rsquo;s dil.*******************<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/59429/babar-azam/recent" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Babar Azam&rsquo;s</a> leadership, his charismatic style of captaincy is well-known. But on the other hand, is Shadab, who has bought into the data-driven method. It is a tale of contrasting ideologies but perhaps one that has put Pakistan into a semi-final and a final in two years.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668423141837-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Since the 2018 Pakistan Super League (PSL), Shadab&rsquo;s role as a batter has grown profound. There are even dressing room stories that the right-hander wanted to take up more responsibility as a batter, hence promoting himself to No.4 during a PSL clash.&nbsp;If you watch all his interviews closely, you&rsquo;d realise one thing, he knows how to conduct himself, and more importantly, takes a pause before putting out a heartful opinion, while still mentally calculating diplomacy to an extent. Prior to the tournament, he was tried and tested at No.4, a move that did work out.But come to the big tournament, he was once again thrown all over the batting order, across frenzied situations. Against India, he walked out at No.5, scoring just five. In the next fixture, he yet again walked out at 5 before being pushed down the order. Two losses into the tournament, the Men in Green found themselves stifled with their backs against the walls.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668423163881-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">It is not the ideal brand of cricket that they wanted to play but they needed to do something. At 95/5, with one leg out of the tournament, Pakistan were in desperation to avoid an early flight back home. All hopes were pinned against Shadab&rsquo;s blade and it roared, just like the fans. Every boundary was met with a whizz in the crowd, a ray of hope in the dressing room.Iftikhar Ahmed was quick to appreciate and nodded the over-the-extra-cover-six from Shadab as two Pakistani fans in the crowd high-fived each other. But the best was saved for Anrich Nortje, as he slapped him for three sixes across two overs, in the most swashbuckling fashion.<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/3993/virat-kohli/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Virat Kohli&rsquo;s</a> shot will definitely be the shot of the tournament, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/11803/suryakumar-yadav/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Suryakumar Yadav</a> had enough crazy shots to be second but amidst all of this, the way Shadab carved Nortje over the third man region for a six was possibly the campaign defining shot. The fans were shell shocked, some even had their hands over their head as the rain trickled down.Shadab&rsquo;s campaign could be defined by that one innings, it was what he was as a batter, fearless and yet calculative.&nbsp;*******************As he himself said in an interview with ESPNCricinfo, the job of an all-rounder has evolved over the years but the basics remained quintessential. The leg-spinner walked into the tournament ten shy of Shahid Afridi&rsquo;s record for most T20I wickets for Pakistan. The stage was set. All he had to do was be himself.You know those people who walk into a party and lift the spirits of everyone else. Shadab is one of them. A few years ago, Shadab was one of the easier targets in Pakistan. The fact that his career was riddled with a few injuries, all eyes were on the all-rounder, to see whether he could really lift the spirits of the country. Or in short, would he be the Junoon.Pakistan&rsquo;s pace bowling unit is as good as it gets. In fact, some teams can only imagine such a threatening pace attack at their disposal but Pakistan as a country are naturally blessed with bowlers who can make a telling impact. In such a bowling unit, the role of a spinner was only going to be profound.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668423405870-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Carrying the weight of the nation could be daunting, and for a 24-year-old, career-threatening but the ease with which Shadab has seen these times, you would wonder if he is really 24. In the middle-over phase, no spinner in the competition during the Super 12 stage has more wickets than Shadab (11), wherein he also went past Afridi&rsquo;s tally of 97 wickets.&nbsp;Sometimes it is easier to forget that Shadab is a wrist-spinner, the riskier breed of the two spinners. But such is his control, it makes people go in awe. His impact doesn&rsquo;t end there. When not contributing with the bat or the ball, his impact on the field is telling.His pick-up-and-throw in one motion to dismiss Devon Conway shouldn&rsquo;t be forgotten that easily.*******************Amidst all of his batting, fielding and bowling display, the most integral of Shadab&rsquo;s abilities is buried &ndash; his leadership skills &ndash; one that almost took them to their second T20 World Cup title. Babar is definitely the captain but Shadab is the contrasting understudy.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668423191445-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">While one works perfectly with his instincts, the other slightly nudges ideas backed with data. Cast your mind back to India&rsquo;s clash against England, at one point during the powerplay, Hardik Pandya lifted the spirits of the Indian players. Sometimes, it is these small things that go unnoticed.Shadab is that vocal point in Pakistan&rsquo;s unit. He naturally lifts the team with his all-round display and when he doesn&rsquo;t, he waves his hand around to make sure that the field is in the right place. On some occasions, he also asks the captain for an intriguing bowling change, which changes the course of the game.For all that he is worth, Shadab is more than a gold. He is Pakistan&rsquo;s beating heart in the Jazbaa-driven cricket ideology. If the fans are screaming Dil Dil Pakistan, the jan jan Pakistan is definitely the 24-year-old Shadab Khan.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The all-rounder is the mercury in Pakistan’s mercurial unit

Shadab Khan

Shahid Afridi

Babar Azam

ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Australia, 2022

Shadab Khan – the Junoon to Pakistan’s Jazbaa

Babar Azam&#39;s men pushed England all the way at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but fell to a five-wicket defeat with six balls remaining after setting a below-par 138-run target to win. Masood top-scored with 38 and said he took responsibility for not staying around longer to put together a bigger total.Pakistan can take pride in getting to the World Cup final but now their young team must take the next step -- learning how to close out tight games, said batsman <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/11754/shan-masood/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shan Masood</a> on Sunday.&quot;There were stages especially with the bat that we could have finished things off really well. Personally, I take blame for it. We were aiming for 170 and having looked at the way the innings ended, we could have used a batsman staying in and getting us to at least 155-160, which would have been good on that pitch,&quot; Masood said.Instead they fell short, leaving it up to their renowned pace attack to blunt England. But <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/white-ball-kingdom-rises-in-the-west-with-england-1668350658618" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ben Stokes&#39;s unbeaten 52</a> was enough to see his team to a second T20 World Cup triumph following their 2010 victory. Pakistan suffered a blow when strike bowler <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/66833/shaheen-afridi/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shaheen Afridi</a> was injured catching <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/78797/harry-brooks/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harry Brooks</a> in the deep and unable to complete his final two overs at the death.&quot;We could have done with his two overs at the end,&quot; Masood said.&quot;I hope he is OK. It&#39;s his knee. From what I am hearing all his ligament tests are clear.&quot;Despite the defeat, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/pakistan-in-the-t20-world-cup-arrived-late-but-arrived-handsomely-1668012587309" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pakistan&#39;s performance in Australia exceeded expectations</a> after they lost their first two matches in the Super 12 to India and Zimbabwe and scraped into the semi-finals courtesy of South Africa&#39;s shock defeat to the Netherlands a week ago. Masood said the young team had a bright future, but needed to learn how to win the tight moments.&quot;The games that we won, we won them quite comfortably. The good sign is that when we lost, we lost close games. So you realise that these things are in your own hands. The three games we lost to India, Zimbabwe and now England there were opportunities where we could have closed out those games.&quot;I think the next step this young team has to take is finishing games, finishing out close moments. But I just feel the way Babar is leading this team, the leadership group in Shadab (Khan) and (Mohammad) Rizwan, I&#39;ve got no doubts that with future World Cups coming this side will be a constant threat and among the top teams.&quot;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Despite the defeat, Pakistan's performance in Australia exceeded expectations after they lost their first two matches in the Super 12 to India and Zimbabwe

Shan Masood

England

Now Pakistan must learn how to close out big games: Masood

<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/9782/jos-buttler/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jos Buttler</a> didn&#39;t have the brightest of starts when he took over as England&#39;s white-ball captain in June, 2022 following the retirement of <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/3823/eoin-morgan/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eoin Morgan</a>, who had led their revolution in limited-overs cricket.They lost series at home to India and South Africa, before Buttler himself was sidelined for their seven-match T20I series in Pakistan, which they won 4-3. It was followed by a 2-0 win over Australia before the 2022 T20 World Cup. Doubts persisted over their batting as they laboured to a five-wicket win over Afghanistan in their tournament opener and then lost to Ireland by five runs.Their troubles were compounded when the clash against Australia was washed out. They started to find their rhythm when they trounced New Zealand by 20 runs and then had to huff and puff into the semis with a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka.However, all those doubts were shattered when they outplayed India in the semifinal to enter the final with a 10-wicket win. On Sunday in front of 80,000 fans at the MCG, they started strongly by restricting Pakistan to 137/5 in 20 overs.<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/10130/ben-stokes/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ben Stokes</a>, their 2019 World Cup hero at Lord&#39;s, once again stepped in a tough chase with his maiden T20I fifty and guided them to a five-wicket victory. Even though all eyes were focused on him, Stokes sang praises of Buttler, pacer <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/65584/sam-curran/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam Curran</a> and leg spinner <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/4661/adil-rashid/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Adil Rashid</a>.&quot;When the great man stepped down and Jos took over, you look how quickly he managed to take control of the team and progress it from the legacy that Morgan&#39;s left,&quot; Stokes told Sky Sports, with Morgan standing beside him as a commentator.&quot;Jos has now created his own legacy. He&#39;s a guy who everyone follows on the field and it shouldn&#39;t be taken for granted how hard it can be making tactical decisions under pressure in this format,&quot; Stokes said.Curran, who claimed 3-12 in the final, was awarded Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament for his 13 wickets from seven matches. Rashid, despite starting the tournament quietly, came into his own with spells of 1-20 against India and 2-22 in the final.&quot;Adil Rashid, Sam Curran, that&#39;s what won us the game. That was a tricky wicket, it was never one that you felt you were ever in on,&quot; Stokes said.Stokes, who hit the winning runs off <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/72232/mohammad-wasim/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mohammad Wasim</a>&#39;s penultimate over, was made to work by the Pakistani bowlers as the game came down to the final two overs.&quot;When you chase totals in games like this you so often forget the hard work that&#39;s gone in before. The way that Sam and Rash and all the bowlers bowled to restrict them... I think on that was a huge reason as to why we didn&#39;t feel under too much pressure with the run chase. I never felt like it was out of our hands at all and was just trying to make sure I stayed there a long as I possibly could at the end,&quot; Stokes said.&nbsp;Stokes also credited Ireland for giving his team a reality check as the defeat allowed them to regroup and set their campaign back on track.&quot;With that being so early on in the competition we obviously had to address it, say what we said, and then let it go because in tournaments you can&#39;t carry baggage with you. That was a little blip on the way. Credit to Ireland for turning up and beating us but the best teams learn from their mistakes, they take it on the chin but they never let it affect them and they just let it go, move onto the next challenge. I feel as if we&#39;ve lived up to all the challenges that we&#39;ve had thrown at us throughout the tournament,&quot; Stokes said.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Buttler took over as England's white-ball captain in June and guided them to their second T20 World Cup title

Ben Stokes

Sam Curran

Jos has created a legacy of his own: Stokes

Pakistan have come very close to lifting a big trophy in the past few months. They managed to fight back against England just before the World Cup to lose a seven-match T20I series 4-3 before which they fell short of clinching the 2022 Asia Cup in the final against Sri Lanka. On Sunday, they were upstaged by <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/9782/jos-buttler/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jos Buttler</a>&#39;s all-powerful England at the MCG in the <a href="https://www.cricket.com/match-score/209312/scorecard/pak-vs-eng-final-icc-men-s-t20-world-cup-australia-2022" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">T20 World Cup final</a> as <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/59429/babar-azam/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Babar Azam</a>&#39;s side were left to rue the small margins.Batting first, they lost <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/20286/mohammad-rizwan/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mohammad Rizwan</a> in the fifth over with the score at 29 which was followed by the wicket of youngster <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/72231/mohammad-haris/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mohammad Haris</a> in the eighth over. Babar soon followed when he swatted the ball straight back to Adil Rashid in the 12th over, which put Pakistan in a dire position.From 121/4 at the start of 17th over, Pakistan kept losing a wicket every over and 138/5 was all they could muster in 20 overs.&quot;The ball was seaming early on. We wanted to get 45-50 runs in the powerplay but we lost a few wickets. In 11 overs, we were around 85 [84], but the back-to-back wickets that fell in the middle order meant we lost momentum. Especially after Shadab and Shan&#39;s partnership ending with both getting out soon after each other like they did,&quot; Babar said in the post-match press conference.At one point, Pakistan went without a boundary for 24 balls and <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/66833/shaheen-afridi/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shaheen Afridi&#39;</a>s four off the penultimate ball of the innings was their only boundary in the last five overs. Babar admitted that the team&#39;s dot-ball percentage was a huge problem.&quot;Our middle-order dot-ball ratio was a bit too high because we were in a different situation, trying to build a partnership. We couldn&#39;t do that, and whenever a wicket falls, it takes the new batter 2-3 balls to settle down. That put us on the back foot as a batting unit because we couldn&#39;t finish as we wanted,&quot; he said.However, coming close and losing finals is the thing that hurts the most, according to Babar.&quot;It hurts when you can&#39;t finish it off in a final, of course. We&#39;re very proud to play for Pakistan and make the final. But it hurts when you can&#39;t finish it off. We couldn&#39;t finish it off in the Asia Cup either, and that does sting,&quot; he said.From a seemingly impossible equation, Pakistan battled their way to the semifinals after losing their first two Super 12 matches against India and Zimbabwe. &nbsp;Thanks to Netherlands&#39; win over South Africa, they went through and outclassed last year&#39;s finalists New Zealand to reach the final.&quot;This was a stressful week because we didn&#39;t know we were in or out. But the way we grabbed our opportunity and played our best cricket in four matches in a row, our team deserves credit,&quot; Babar said.&quot;We didn&#39;t expect to go through after our start. But the way the team came back and the way we grabbed our opportunity makes me proud. The way the middle order stepped up after Rizwan and I were struggling made me very happy. They won us matches, and put in individual performances like Iftikhar&#39;s, Shadab&#39;s and Nawaz. The bowling dominated all tournament, too,&quot; he pointed to the positives from the tournament.Defending a lowly total 137 looked possible for Pakistan, who stifled England after the drinks break as <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/69956/naseem-shah/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Naseem Shah</a>, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/70326/haris-rauf/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Haris Rauf</a> and <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/65739/shadab-khan/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shadab Khan</a> bowling to the field. However, they suffered a blow at the toe end when Shaheen Afridi limped off the field in the 16th over after bowling one ball.<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/10130/ben-stokes/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ben Stokes</a>, who was waiting for an opportunity to free his arms, smacked a boundary and a six off Iftikhar Ahmed to bring down the equation to 28 off 24 balls. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/4688/moeen-ali/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Moeen Ali</a> then clubbed three fours off <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/72232/mohammad-wasim/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mohammad Wasim</a>&#39;s 17th over to take England on the cusp of a second T20 World Cup title. Though Ali fell in the 19th over, Stokes (52 not out off 49 balls) completed the run chase with a boundary and a single.&quot;The way we fought back and took the game to the final over, you&#39;re left to wonder. Maybe if Shaheen had bowled, things might have been different. But credit to England&#39;s bowling. We were trying to build a partnership, but losing back to back wickets puts pressure on you. That pressure remains on you till the 20th over. We were 20 runs or so short with the bat, even though we came back with the ball. After Shaheen&#39;s injury, the game shifted to England&#39;s side,&quot; Babar said.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The Pakistan skipper credited England's bowlers for restricting them to a low total in the T20 World Cup final

Shaheen Afridi

Babar 'proud' of Pakistan, but hurt with final results

Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, India and now England. What do they share in common? All of them held two white-ball titles at one point simultaneously.2010 &ndash; Chennai Super Kings &ndash; won the Indian Premier League and the Champions League Twenty 202013 &ndash; Mumbai Indians &ndash; won the Indian Premier League and the Champions League Twenty 202014 &ndash; India &ndash; won the ODI World Cup and the Champions Trophy2022 &ndash; England &ndash; won the ODI World Cup in 2019 and the T20 World CupInterestingly, when we talk about legacies and kingdoms, we often refer back to these teams and how they were largely successful across competitions at once. And, we all know how this England team was built. It certainly wasn&#39;t overnight, it is over seven years, multiple coaches and plenty of tactics later that England are a white-ball kingdom.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668350084808-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Unlike domestic cricket, an international title is worth its weight in gold. Especially when teams are struggling to win one. Never has a team held the ODI World Cup title and the T20 World Cup title together.&nbsp;Here are England.&nbsp;When <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/65584/sam-curran/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam Curran</a> lifted the Player of the Tournament award, it was history in the making, for multiple reasons.****&ldquo;It has been a long journey and few changes but we are reaping the rewards of how we have played in the last few years. It&#39;s been a fantastic tournament,&rdquo; said an honest Jos Buttler at the post-match presentation.It was England&rsquo;s third white-ball title, their second in three years, and perhaps the most important one of all. When Matthew Mott took over as the head coach of this talented crop, the start was far from what he would have anticipated.After losing against South Africa and then India, there was already discussion on whether they are having a good white-ball setup, or whether <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/9782/jos-buttler/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jos Buttler</a> was the right person to lead this team. Later, leading into the World Cup, there was once again an argument of whether <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/10130/ben-stokes/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ben Stokes</a> was a forced fit.Three weeks later, Stokes is a T20 World Cup winner, completing an entire circle, one that started with him conceding four consecutive sixes against Carlos Brathwaite in Kolkata back in 2016. No one saw the arc coming, no one saw Stokes being this influential against Pakistan in the final.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668350143180-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Data-driven approach is one that England are heralded with. But in a data-driven approach, a man who has zero T20I fifties, a man who hasn&rsquo;t played cricket for over a year leading into this mega competition. That isn&rsquo;t data. That can in no world be contributed to data. It is purely a gut take, it is purely something that is on the lines of Pakistan&rsquo;s Jazbaa.But for a data-driven team to take such a decision, it could have easily backfired.On Sunday (November 13), Stokes was batting on three off eight balls. It wasn&rsquo;t too far off from his knock earlier against Sri Lanka. It wasn&rsquo;t far off from all our predictions about how England&rsquo;s headache of fitting Stokes into the setup is going to be. But it was definitely far away from all our data-driven analysis, that there was someone with that aura, immeasurable at its best, putting England in the driver&#39;s seat.<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VQ7EaP8LUns" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>At one point, the left-hander was almost on the verge of breaking down mid-pitch, like how Aaron Finch went, &ldquo;Oh my god.&rdquo; But this is Stokes. Even when he wasn&rsquo;t at his best form, even when he was playing his least good format, there was a fear.A fear amongst the Pakistani fans that he would take the game away from them. England, on the other hand, had always backed Stokes. If cricket ever had a situation of going on a war, the all-rounder would be one of the first names that they would take alongside them. Stokes&rsquo; aura, charisma and big-match mentality is unmatched.5 off 10, it might not be too wild to assume that Stokes would have had flashbacks of the 2016 T20 World Cup final. He had conceded four sixes, he was on his knee and literally, breaking down in tears. It was that stage yet again, Harry Brook at the other end was a goner. 84/4.Stokes was draining delivery after delivery. Every camera was pointing towards him, Pakistan were slowly clawing their way back into the contest and boom. Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment, would you capture it or let it go?<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668350252741-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">That&rsquo;s when Stokes lost himself and Pakistan lost the game. The big-match player that Stokes is, he seized the opportunity and handed the opposition a masterclass of a knock.You could see how much it meant to him, the roar, the big smile and the sweat on his back, it showed redemption is both sweet and sweat. Stokes seized the moment, in history, as he walked back unbeaten on 52, scripting history.Data might mean something, but in this case, not everything.***All the talks of Stokes are surreal. But there is a bigger arc. Remember the 2021 T20 World Cup, when England crashed out of the semi-final stage of the competition against New Zealand? Do you remember the squad they had? They had one name missing: Sam Curran.Cast your mind to what happened prior to the tournament, an injury not just ruled him out of the tournament but took away an opportunity for him to seize the moment. But 2022 presented another opportunity. And when life presents the second opportunity, you just got to do a Sam. He took it with both hands.Even if it meant bowling the tough overs. Even if it meant that leaking runs at the death could backfire immensely. Curran was the go-to-man for Buttler during the competition. Remember the war analogy, if there was a second person that they would take to war, it should be Curran.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668350338705-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The wicket was tricky. Leading into the final, most of Curran&rsquo;s overs were in the middle-overs or at the death. But when Buttler called him to bowl in the powerplay, against Mohammad Rizwan, it was a challenge that was familiar to him but one hadn&#39;t done it in some time. Prior to this innings, Curran had bowled just five overs in the powerplay.But when put in a fix, to get Rizwan out, he answered in brilliant fashion. Across his first two overs, the left-arm seamer conceded just five runs, picking up a crucial wicket. It almost broke Pakistan&rsquo;s back.If that didn&rsquo;t, he came on later to pick up two crucial pegs &ndash; Shan Masood and Mohammad Nawaz. For someone who is playing his first T20 World Cup, Curran was probably tasked with death at the death. Geddit? But on every occasion, including the final, he came out on top.Prior to this encounter, his economy was 7.3 at the death, having picked up seven wickets. It is almost poetic that England already have a steady option in the form of Curran to replace Stokes, as a batter even. It certainly addresses the elephant in the room &ndash; the talent pool and the backing.Why can&rsquo;t the other teams replicate?****************There was a lot of hurrah near the English dressing room. The players were getting ready to run onto the pitch and take a piece of the memorabilia &ndash; the stumps. But the first to run was Adil Rashid. Rashid is 34, he is perhaps on the last leg of his T20I career, considering how his form has been.But that&rsquo;s where there is a fine balance between trusting and trusting too much. CSK have been guilty of trusting players far too long in the past but when these kinds of decisions, tactical acumen work off, it is as good as gold.Rashid&rsquo;s form was patchy. Patchy is perhaps more than a fair assessment of how he has bowled over the last few months. Ever since his return to the international scene, his form has seen a major dip and his overs, arguably have turned as tricky ones for the team.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668350372686-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">That&rsquo;s where Buttler the captain deserves all credit. That&rsquo;s where Stokes, the man who soaked in all the pressure deserves the credit. Both of them, on either end of the clash, pointed out at Rashid&rsquo;s spell, at how he has bowled in the clash that has turned the tide.&ldquo;Sam and Rash, it was huge reasons that we didn&rsquo;t feel a lot of pressure during the run-chase. I never felt like it was out of our hands at all, wanted to stay till the end,&rdquo; commented Stokes.It is easy to forget. The wickets of Mohammad Harris and Babar Azam at those crucial points in the contest arguably changed the tide of this fixture. Rashid, the big-match player, was yet again on point.If you had gone by the data, he was a man on the decline. But England backed him, and backed him to the hilt, that they are reaping the rewards. Data certainly drives the game but sometimes, some players can&rsquo;t quite be defined by that logic.Today was an example.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

England are no longer one of the best, they are undeniably, the best

Adil Rashid

England tour of Australia, 2022

Prince Stokes legitimizes the English kingdom

England claimed their second T20 World Cup title with a five-wicket win over Pakistan in the final at the MCG. Chasing 138, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/10130/ben-stokes/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ben Stokes</a> once again starred in a World Cup final with a match-winning fifty as England won the game with an over to spare.England lost to Ireland in the Super 12s but managed to beat New Zealand and Sri Lanka after an abandoned match agianst Australia to progress to the semis. They thrashed India by 10 wickets and booked and set up a date with Pakistan in the finale.Speaking of Stokes, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/9782/jos-buttler/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jos Buttler</a> at the post-match presentation said, &quot;He is the ultimate competitor in anything he does and has the experience to bank on as well. He timed it perfectly, the impetus that he and Moeen Ali had just took it away from Pakistan.&quot;Reflecting on the campaign, Buttler said he is extremely proud of the entire unit.&nbsp;&quot;This is the icing on the cake, To win the T20 World Cup now, immensely proud of everyone here. It has been a long journey and few changes but we are reaping the rewards of how we have played in the last few years. It&#39;s been a fantastic tournament.&quot;He further added that the seven-match T20I series they played in Pakistan before the World Cup was a valuable experience.&quot;We went to Pakistan before coming here, which was a valuable time for the group and this felt a long way after the Ireland match but the character we showed from thereon in must-win games is amazing.&quot;Matthew Motts, the white-ball head coach, has won numerous laurels with the Australia Women cricket team. Buttler praised him and the entire coaching staff for the freedom they provide.&quot;He has fitted in really well. We have got a few Australians in the coaching staff with us in this tournament and he has led the coaching staff really well, gives the players great freedom,&quot; the England captain said.After going wicketless in the initial stages of the tournament, Adil Rashid played a pivotal role in choking the opposition, picking up four wickets from the last three games and went for under six in all of them.Even in the final, he picked up the wickets of Mohammad Haris and Babar Azam. Buttler reckons that the wicket-maiden he bowled swung the game in England&#39;s favour.&quot;Huge swing in the game, that was a fantastic over from Adil. He has been outstanding for us in the last three games, just the guy who makes things happen and his performance was outstanding,&quot; Buttler, who scored 225 runs at a strike-rate of 144.23 in the tournament said.Pakistan captain <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/59429/babar-azam/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Babar Azam</a> felt that his side was 20 runs short and things became even more difficult when Shaheen Afridi had to limp off due to an injury.&quot;Congratulations to England, they deserve to be champions and fought well. We felt like home here, got great support at every venue. Thanks for your support. Yes, we lost the first two games but how we came in the last four games was incredible,&quot; Babar said.&quot;I just told the boys to play our natural game, but we fell 20 runs short and the boys fought well with the ball. Our bowling is one of the best attacks in the world. Unfortunately Shaheen&#39;s injury put us off, but that&#39;s part of the game.&quot;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The England all-rounder delivered with the bat once again in a World Cup final

Ben Stokes is the ultimate competitor in anything he does: Jos Buttler

England allrounder <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/4688/moeen-ali/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Moeen Ali</a> reveled in the moment as England clinched the 2022 T20 World Cup title on Sunday at the MCG <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/live-blog/209312/pak-vs-eng-final-icc-men-s-t20-world-cup-australia-2022/live-pakistan-vs-england-final-icc-t20-world-cup-melbourne-1668320717543" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">by beating Pakistan by five wickets</a>.With England struggling for runs while chasing 138, Ali played a crucial cameo of 19 off 13 balls as England romped home with six balls to spare with <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/10130/ben-stokes/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ben Stokes</a>, yet again leading them to their second T20 world title with an unbeaten 52 off 49 balls.&quot;One of the best days of my cricketing career. As a team we&#39;ve deserved it over a long period of time. It was about keeping my intent, if I was going to get out it was to get out being positive,&quot; Ali said after the Stokes hit the winning runs against <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/72232/mohammad-wasim/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mohammad Wasim Jr</a>.Stokes, who was instrumental in England&#39;s maiden ODI World Cup title win with an unbeaten 84 in the 2019 final, still felt that the win at Lord&#39;s was truly special. The star allrounder was full of praise for the bowling unit who rested Pakistan to 137/8 in 20 overs.&quot;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,&quot; Stokes said.England had a rough start to the Super 12 as they laboured to a five-wicket win over Afghanistan in their tournament openers, which was followed by a five-run defeat against Ireland. However, their chances to reach the semifinal were crunched when their match against Australia was washed out due to heavy rain.&nbsp;They bounced back with a thumping 20-run win over New Zealand which was followed by a nervous four-wicket win over Sri Lanka to qualify for the last four. Stokes, who played the all-important innings of 42 not out in that game, looked back England&#39;s journey in the tournament.&quot;With Ireland (defeat by five runs in Super 12) being so early in the competition, we had to address it, we can&#39;t carry baggage in tournaments. The best teams take it on the chin, and move onto the next challenge. A pretty good evening,&quot; he said.Do not question StokesEngland were absolutely dominant in the semifinal against India as the thrashed the 2007 winners by 10 wickets before putting in a clinical bowling performance in the final. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/65584/sam-curran/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam Curran</a> led the attack yet again with a sensational 3-12 while leg spinner <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/4661/adil-rashid/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Adil Rashid</a> bowled a maiden in his 1-22 from his four overs.The 24-year old Curran was adjudged Player of the Match, but felt Stokes deserved the award over him.&nbsp;&quot;I don&#39;t think I should be getting this, the way Stokesy played there... we&#39;re going to enjoy this occasion, very special. They had big square boundaries, so into the wicket, it offered for the seamers, nipping around and a challenge for the chase. The way I bowl, I go into the wicket with my slower balls and keep the batsmen guessing. World Champions, how good!&quot; Curran said.Curran was full of praise for Stokes, who hit his maiden T20I fifty in the match.&quot;People question him, but there&#39;s no questioning him... he&#39;s the man!&quot;While Curran felt it was Stokes&#39; award, he was also lost for words when he was awarded Player of the Tournament for his haul of 13 wickets from seven matches.&quot;A little bit lost for words. We&#39;re going to enjoy this,&quot; Curran said.Rashid, whose 1-20 in the semifinal and 1-22 in the final, was crucial for England, cherished the moments after the final win.&quot;So proud of the boys, the position from the early tomorrow to now... we were nervous in the run-chase, but we knew we&#39;ve got the firepower to get over the line. This doesn&#39;t happen often, so we&#39;ll cherish this for a long time.&quot;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Ben Stokes hit his maiden T20I fifty in the T20 World Cup final to guide England to their second T20 world title

Moeen Ali

Harry Brook

Chris Woakes

There's no questioning Stokes, he's the man: Sam Curran

LIVE : Pakistan vs England, Final, ICC T20 World Cup, Melbourne

England canter to their second T20 World Cup title : As it happened

&ldquo;Fill the G&rdquo; - You don&rsquo;t need to have a catchline to fill the colossus this time. Pakistan fans in Australia would do this. As would the disappointed Indian fans, who had already purchased the tickets for the final.&nbsp;Maybe they&rsquo;re supporting England now? Or Pakistan? Or are they even coming at all? And don&rsquo;t discount the loud Barmy Army too. They&rsquo;re having the time of their lives.&nbsp;There would be no shortage of beeline with Green jerseys, perhaps waiting for the same recreation of the 1992 World Cup final result after England and Pakistan made it to the 2022 T20 World Cup. A place in the parliament for <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/59429/babar-azam/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Babar Azam&nbsp;</a>then? A shot at the position of Prime Minister even? Well, let&rsquo;s not go crazy so early.But <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/9782/jos-buttler/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jos Buttler</a> would know. A team that plays right on the philosophy of &ldquo;qudrat ka nizam&rdquo; will be taking charge with all the force and England will have to be at their very best to take home their second T20 trophy. Irrespective of the fact that they&rsquo;re now bolstered by some <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/22878/alex-hales/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hales power</a>, if Pakistan decide to turn up, all rationalities will be thrown out of the window.&nbsp;However, both sides face the high prospects of rain intervening at the MCG once again, and this time, with a precipitation chance of more than 80% across Sunday and Monday. In the group stages of the competition, a minimum of five over per side are required to complete the match. However, for the knockouts, a minimum of 10 overs is needed to constitute a game. As disappointing that may sound already, there are further chances that we may already move in that direction.&nbsp;The playing conditions read exactly as this: &quot;If the reserve day is allocated, every effort will be made to complete the match on the scheduled day with any necessary reduction in overs taking place and only if the minimum number of overs necessary to constitute a match cannot be bowled on the scheduled day will the match be completed on the reserve day.&quot;If the match has started on the scheduled day and overs are subsequently reduced following an interruption, but no further play is possible, the match will resume on the reserve day at the point where the last ball was played.&quot;From all accounts, this is perhaps the best T20 World Cup ever. The matches were fantastic. So many close games and there was hardly a day in the tournament in which we didn&rsquo;t have a game that would put the last year&rsquo;s Dubai edition to shame. Such has been the charm of this edition that a damp squib in the final would be highly anti-climatic.&nbsp;But if we have learnt one thing from this World Cup - all weather predictions are innuendo in Melbourne. The India-Pakistan encounter was supposed to be a complete wash out but we didn&rsquo;t see a single moment of rain. Such has been the craziness of the weather in the Victorian capital.&nbsp;One can only wish November 13 would be October 23 all over again. Afterall, what better way to celebrate a cricket match than a cricket match?Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

But if we have learnt one thing from this World Cup - all weather predictions are insinuation at best, in Melbourne. Logic may not prevail at all

Hey Rain! Please Stay away

There is already an eerie similarity between the ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia and the 1992 ODI World Cup in the same country. It is Pakistan and England, who are facing each other in the final. There is a real chance that Babar Azam and co could double their trophy cabinet in this format, having won the T20 World Cup last in 2009.&nbsp;Don&rsquo;t rule England out either. In 2010, England put on a show, spearheaded by their openers to lift the trophy against rivals, Australia. So, the stage is made of equals. Both have their weakness but on their good day, the strengths are definitely overpowering any sort of weakness that they possess. But the weather god in Melbourne could ultimately play a huge role in deciding the winner.&nbsp;It could even be shared, if the forecasts are to be believed.&nbsp;Ground DetailsWe are back to the rain bowl &ndash; the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which in all reality, could be home to around 90,000 people on Sunday (November 13). England have a wood over Pakistan in the last five H2H games. Both the teams have a terrible record at the MCG, with six losses in between them and ZERO wins.&nbsp;<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668260364742-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Out of the three games at the venue in this year&rsquo;s T20 World Cup, two teams have won batting first. Most of the teams have opted to bowl first here. The last team to chase here at MCG are India, who brought down the finalists, Pakistan in their Super 12 opener last month.&nbsp;Interestingly, both Pakistan and England have played just one game here at the &lsquo;G. England bowlers average (15.7) significantly better than Pakistan (26.7) albeit their opposition was Ireland. Pacers have picked up 29 wickets at the venue, accounting to 4.8 wickets/innings, in comparison to the spinners, who pick up 2.2 wickets/innings on an average here.&nbsp;It isn&rsquo;t a very friendly venue for openers during the Super 12, with the top-order (1-3) just averaging 25.2 at the venue, with a strike-rate of 117.2. In comparison, the middle-order are safer bet, given how they strike at 130.2, which is at a higher pace than the top-order.&nbsp;However, just keep in mind that it is the openers who have been on fire for both these teams.&nbsp;Suggested Team<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668260245776-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">While you could go for the above team, you can also choose your team from <a href="https://www.cricket.com/fantasy-research-center/209312/pak-vs-eng-final-icc-men-s-t20-world-cup-australia-2022/create-team" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cricket.com&rsquo;s Fantasy Research Centre</a>. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.Captaincy Suggestions:For small leagues: <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/68996/shadab-khan/articles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shadab Khan</a> (Captain), <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/65584/sam-curran/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam Curran</a> (Vice-captain)For grand leagues: <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/22878/alex-hales/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alex Hales</a> (Captain), <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/69956/naseem-shah/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Naseem Shah</a> (Vice-captain)Stats that Matter- &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/66374/harry-brook/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harry Brook&rsquo;s</a> record against Pakistan has been phenomenal this year, with 238 runs, at an average of 79.33. In fact, it was in the seven-match series against the same opponent earlier in the year, where <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/harry-brook-not-just-another-hyped-english-cricketer-1664371637973" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brook made a name for himself</a>, going into this year&rsquo;s T20 World Cup. His last four scores in the tournament have been 4, 7, 18 and 7, so Pakistan will be the team against whom he would want to return to form.&nbsp;- &nbsp; &nbsp;Shaheen Afridi had a terrible start to the World Cup but ever since, has been one of the top bowlers in the competition. The left-arm seamer averages 14.2 in the tournament, with ten wickets, the join-most for any Pakistani bowler in the global event. Across his last three appearances, Afridi has picked up 10 wickets.&nbsp;- &nbsp; &nbsp;If Pakistan had Shaheen, England have been blessed with the prowess of Sam Curran. Curran has picked up as many wickets as Shaheen in the competition but has bowled the tough overs, with an average of 13.6. Considering the conditions at the MCG, Curran&rsquo;s variations could very well come to the fore.&nbsp;- &nbsp; &nbsp;Don&rsquo;t forget Shadab Khan. The leg-spinning all-rounder has been the pick of players for Pakistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup, with ten wickets with the ball. Not just that, the right-hander also has scored 78 runs with the bat, with a deadly strike-rate of 177.3.&nbsp;Grand League Punts- &nbsp; &nbsp;Alex Hales has been England&rsquo;s best batter in the global T20 competition, with 211 runs, at a threatening strike-rate of 148.6. Not just that, Hales also will know the Pakistani bowlers more than anyone in this England setup, with 895 runs in his 26 PSL appearances, where he had a similar strike-rate. Going against a familiar opposition could be beneficial for Hales and England.&nbsp;- &nbsp; &nbsp;Naseem Shah has been an unsung hero for Pakistan in the ongoing tournament. Whilst the right-arm pacer has not been amongst the wickets, his impact on every outcome for the Men in Green has been immense. The last time Pakistan played at the &lsquo;G, it was Naseem, who had an instant impact, against India, with a spell of 1/23, with an economy rate of 5.8. So, count the pacer out at your own peril.&nbsp;Here are the top 10 Criclytics Projections<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1668260301293-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Probable XIsPakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen AfridiEngland: Jos Buttler (c &amp; wk), Alex Hales, Philip Salt/Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan/Mark Wood, Adil RashidPowered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Here are a few tips that could help you create your fantasy XI for the final of the T20 World Cup between England and Pakistan

PAK VS ENG,Final

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