T20 World Cup 2022: [WATCH] Shaheen Afridi cleans up Alex Hales with a beauty in Pakistan vs England final

Pakistan left-arm seamer Shaheen Afridi bowled destructive England opener Alex Hales for one with a brilliant delivery in the T20 World Cup 2022 final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday, November 13.

Sent in to bat after losing the toss, Pakistan put up a disappointing 137/8 in their 20 overs, giving England a massive advantage at the halfway stage.

To stay in the contest in the World Cup final, Pakistan needed to strike early. Afridi once again delivered the goods. On the last ball of the first over of the innings, he cleaned up Hales with a superb delivery.

The left-arm fast bowler got a good length delivery jag back sharply. The England opener attempted a swish across the line, but was beaten for pace and swing as the ball crashed into the stumps.

Hales’ dismissal was a massive wicket for Pakistan as he was Player of the Match in the second semi-final against India for his blazing 86* off 47 balls.

Following Hales’ wicket, Pakistan struck for a second time inside the powerplay as Phil Salt (10) miscued a pull off Haris Rauf to midwicket. Salt’s dismissal left England at 32/2 in the fourth over.

Pakistan’s chances of registering a win in the final received a massive boost when Rauf sent England captain Jos Buttler back for 26 off 17 balls.

The opening batter poked a quick delivery in the corridor that nipped away a little and ended up nicking the ball to the keeper. England were in serious at 49/3 at the end of their powerplay.

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Sam Curran stars with three-fer as England restrict Pakistan

Earlier, bowling first after winning the toss, England’s bowlers came up with a terrific display to hold Pakistan to 137/8.

Left-arm seamer Sam Curran was the standout bowler, registering figures of 3/12 from his four overs. He dismissed Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood and Mohammad Nawaz.

Adil Rashid (2/22) and Chris Jordan (2/27) also came up with excellent bowling performances in the T20 World Cup 2022 final as Pakistan just could not get going. Rizwan perished cheaply for 15, while skipper Babar Azam made 32 off 28.

Shan Masood top-scored for the batting side with 38 off 28, while Shadab Khan contributed 20 off 14. However, Pakistan struggled for momentum as none of the batters were able to convert their starts into big scores.