SUPER MEN!

Sensational Stokes laid the ghosts of his T20 final nightmare of 2016 by doing what he does best... heroically bringing home victory

SIX years ago his eyes were glazed over staring into the distance as he tried to compute what Carlos Brathwaite had done in his last over of a T20 World Cup final there for the taking.

The trophy had been snatched out of Ben Stokes’ hands as Brathwaite struck four successive sixes and West Indies were the champions.

This time, as the downpour weather forecasters predicted for Melbourne barely showed up, Stokes rose to the occasion to ensure England completed their World Cup double.

He scored the run that sealed a five-wicket victory over Pakistan with six balls to spare. From glazed-over eyes to eyes that were laser focused. In a career littered with special moments, accolades and silverware, Stokes somehow got the chance to avenge one of his lowest points – and he grabbed it with both hands.

For a generation of young England fans, cricket is a sport where 22 players bat and bowl against each other and at the end Ben Stokes wins the game.

That is precisely what happened at the MCG. Thanks to his match-winning 52 not out, his first international T20 fifty, Pakistan were vanquished to reverse the result from 30 years ago on the same ground.

Stokes and several of his team-mates are now double World Cup winners, picking up the T20 trophy to go with 2019s 50-over version, even if there was slightly less drama this time around.

There was never any danger

of a Super Over this time, with an under par target of 138 for England to chase thanks to their brilliant bowlers, again led by Sam Curran and Adil Rashid.

And even though Pakistan’s bowlers gave England a few tricky moments and made them work hard for their win, they did not have enough on the board to work with.

Curran was named player of the match and of the tournament for his frankly outstanding 3-12 in the final that gave him 13 wickets overall.

And Stokes was quick to point out just where he thought the game was won.

“The way Sam and Rash and the bowlers bowled to restrict them to 137 on that was a huge reason why we didn’t feel under too much pressure with the run chase,” he said. “Sam has done it all tournament and Rash has turned up at the back end of the tournament when it really matters. That was the best I’ve seen him bowl for England in a T20.”

Stokes picked up a wicket too, while Chris Jordan’s 2-27 meant that across the semi-final and final, his only two games, he took 5-70 from eight overs, six of which were at the death.

If England’s bowlers shone brightly when it mattered, spare a thought for Pakistan’s strike weapon Shaheen Shah Afridi, who injured a knee taking the catch to dismiss Harry Brook at long off.

He limped off, returned but managed just one delivery before departing for good, which turned the game unequivocally England’s way, with Iftikhar Ahmed being dispatched.

“That was the over where we had to attack,” said Stokes. “Unfortunately for Pakistan, Shaheen went off, and then it was obvious what we had to do.

“That over was the big one and if we got out going for it then it would have been a shame but so be it.

“We’re all old enough, wise enough, played enough cricket to go into any situation and back our ability and our cricket nous.”

England backed themselves and they won. Again.