England captain Jos Buttler showered enormous praise on English all-rounder Ben Stokes who led the team to another T20 World Cup title with a serene 52 not out that was instrumental in beating Pakistan by 5 wickets in the grand final of T20 world cup at the Iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.
Stokes defied all the adversities after England were reduced to 45-3, chasing a paltry yet tricky target of 138, reports BSS.
Pakistani fast bowlers bowled aggressively and looked to make the life hard of England batters but Stokes kept it simple. Firstly he took his time and then went on berserk to dash all the hopes of Pakistani fans who outnumbered England fans at the MCG.
“When you hit a length there is some movement. We managed to get away to a start but it wasn't easy,” Buttler said after the match.
“Ben Stokes is just perfect at the end. He is the ultimate competitor in anything he does. He has the experience as well. That phase with Moeen Ali, just took it away from Pakistan.”
For Buttler, it was also a nice achievement as he led England to a title at the first year of his captaincy.
“To win the T20 World Cup now, I'm really proud of everyone here. It's been fantastic tournament. We went to Pakistan before coming here, which was a valuable time for the group.”
He also credited his teammates and backroom staff for the glorious achievement.
“Matthew Mott (the white ball coach of England) has fitted in really well. We have got a few Australians in the coaching staff. Huge swing in the game, fantastic over from Adil Rashid who has been outstanding for us in the last three games, just the guy who makes things happen.”
Babar Azam, however, rued for the unfortunate injury of Shaheen Shah Afridi at the halfway stage of the game but he didn't give it as a reason to their defeat.
“Unfortunately Shaheen's injury put us off, but that's part of the game,” Babar said.
“England 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.”
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
