T20 World Cup final: "He should get this" - Sam Curran believes Ben Stokes deserve POTM award after England wins title

England all-rounder Sam Curran said that senior man Ben Stokes deserved the Player of the Match (POTM) award after England were crowned champions of the 2022 T20 World Cup on Sunday, November 13, at the MCG.

England defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the T20 World Cup final in Melbourne to clinch their second world title in the shortest format of the game.

After winning the toss, England captain Jos Buttler asked Pakistan to bat first on a pitch favoring bounce and genuine pace. Curran cleaned up Mohammad Rizwan in the fifth over to draw first blood for England in the high-octane clash of the tournament.

Curran also picked up the wickets of Shan Masood, Pakistan's best batter in the game, and Mohammad Nawaz in the slog overs. The left-arm pacer finished his parsimonious spell with figures of 3/12 from four overs and took his tournament tally to 13 wickets in six matches at 11.38.

Only Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (15 wickets in 8 games) bagged more wickets in the showpiece event. Curran was awarded Player of the Match for his decisive spell, which helped England restrict Pakistan to a below-par score of 137 for 8.

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"I don't think I should be getting this" - Sam Curran on winning POTM award

Stokes led England's chase with a calm and calculative force after they lost three early wickets in the powerplay overs. The senior all-rounder scored an unbeaten 52 in 49 balls to bail England out of a precarious situation.

Although he played too many dot balls in the middle, Stokes was aware that he would need to attack at some point. He did that when Iftikhar Ahmed replaced Shaheen Afridi to complete the latter's 16th over.

Stokes clubbed a four and a six off the Pakistan part-timer. He smashed five fours and one six to take England past the finish line in the penultimate over.

Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony on why Stokes deserved to be the POTM, Curran said:

"I don't think I should be getting this, I think the way Ben Stokes played there, to get a fifty in a final and he does it so many times for us, he should get this (POTM.)"

He added:

"Incredibly special (to have Stokes). He is someone I look up to and always turns up when the team needs him, people question him but there's no questioning him, he's the man."

England now have three ICC trophies in their cabinet after the recent addition of the 2022 T20 World Cup. They won the tournament for the first time in 2010 in the West Indies.

England won their maiden ODI World Cup after beating New Zealand on the boundary count rule in the 2019 World Cup at the iconic Lord's.