T20 World Cup final: Ben Stokes is the ultimate competitor in anything he does, says Jos Buttler – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

England defeated Pakistan in the final of the T20 World Cup to lift the trophy in Melbourne on Sunday. Chasing a target of 138, the English side lost some wickets at regular intervals initially but Ben Stokes kept the side in the hunt and eventually took them home by 5 wickets. He remained unbeaten at 52 off 49.

England captain Jos Buttler lauded the side and his players for putting up a brilliant show in the big final.

“It 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’s been a fantastic tournament. 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,” he said.

Buttler also lavished praise on Adil Rashid who scalped the priced wicket of Babar Azam and bowled a wicket maiden over that certainly shifted the momentum in England’s favour while applauded Stokes for his knock.

“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. When you hit the right length there was a little bit of movement and they were obviously bowling at a good pace, not easy at all. We managed to get away to a start which controlled the run-rate and we bat deep as well. And that man again, Ben Stokes is there at the end. 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,” he added.

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam admitted that they fell short of 20 runs while batting first.

“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. 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’s injury put us off, but that’s part of the game,” he said.

England are now the second team to win two T20 World Cups after West Indies. They won their first T20 World Cup back in 2010.

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