T20 World Cup final: Three key moments in England's win in Melbourne

He knew, at that moment, that the game was over. So it made sense that Ben Stokes, a player with his heart on his sleeve, let out his emotions at that moment. 

And what a moment it was. Even Liam Livingstone, who had barely a role to play due to his coming out to bat so late, was jubilant and celebrating with Ben Stokes. And understandably so. 

England is now the second two-time world champion in the T20I format, after West Indies – who won the titles in 2012 and 2016. 

But even though the moment that sealed the title was the single off Mohammad Wasim Jr, the match had long since been decided. And it was only ever going England's way, despite a spirited fightback from Pakistan. 

Here, we look at three key moments that decided the course of the game. 

The Sam Curran and Adil Rashid show – Having put Pakistan in to bat first, England knew they would need to bowl well to restrict them to a chase total. This was especially true on a track that was not the easiest to bat on and had some assistance for the bowlers. 

But no worries, as Adil Rashid and Sam Curran, stepped up – just as they have done so all tournament. First, Adil Rashid got the key wickets of Babar Azam and Mohammad Haris while conceding just 22 runs in his four overs. This included one wicket maiden when he dismissed Babar Azam and didn't concede a single run. 

Yet the job still wasn't done, and that's where Sam Curran came in. He got rid of the dangerous Mohammad Rizwan early but snared two more critical wickets in the well-set Shan Masood and the always-dangerous Mohammad Nawaz. All while conceding just 12 runs in his four overs! 

Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes' contrasting roles – As mentioned before, the wicket at 'The G' wasn't playing well for batsmen to come out and score big from ball one. However, Jos Buttler is no ordinary batsman – and his quick start helped put some momentum into the innings early, even as they lost Alex Hales early. 

Jos Buttler would eventually depart for 26, but he would set the platform for Ben Stokes to take the game home. The all-rounder hasn't always been England's go-to man in T20Is, but he is a man for the big occasions, as he proved again. 

His 49-ball 52 wasn't the smoothest of T20 innings, but it got the job done on the night – and ensured that Ben Stokes has now played vital roles in England's ODI and T20I World Cup triumphs. 

The dismissal of Harry Brook – It might seem weird to include the dismissal of a dangerous batter as a critical moment for England's chase. Still, its knock-on effect was explosive for the Pakistan cricket team. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Have to say the <a href="https://twitter.com/iShaheenAfridi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iShaheenAfridi</a> Injury had a major impact on the outcome of the game .. Pakistan have once again been brilliant to watch .. they being so much to the world game .. 👍 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ICCT20WorldCup2022Final?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ICCT20WorldCup2022Final</a></p>&mdash; Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelVaughan/status/1591757356861648897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Harry Brook went for a big shot on the off-side but picked out Shaheen Shah Afridi at long-off. However, Shaheen Shah Afridi tweaked his knee while taking the catch and even went off for treatment but could only bowl one ball before hobbling off again. 

Babar Azam threw the ball to Iftikhar Ahmed, who hadn't bowled until that point. The decision to go for the off-spinner against two lefties in Stokes and Moeen Ali made sense, but Stokes hit a four and a six to end the over and firmly swing the match in England's favour. 

From there on out, it was merely a formality.