Watch: Ben Stokes takes a hilarious dig at himself for ruining Eoin Morgan’s tenure as T20I captain
England won the 20-20 World Cup 2022 after beating Pakistan by 5 wickets in the final on Sunday. All-rounder Ben Stokes once again rose to the big occasion and played a brilliant knock of 52 from 49 balls to take his team home in a tricky chase with one over to spare. After the match, Stokes was interviewed by former England captain Eoin Morgan, where he took a hilarious dig at himself for his forgettable last over in the final of the 2016 20-20 World Cup.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Stokes was full of praise for Jos Buttler who took over the reins of captaincy after Eoin Morgan stepped down earlier this year. He further hilariously said that Morgan could’ve won the 20-20 World Cup but someone blew that up.
“When the great man [Morgan] stepped down and Jos took over. You look [at] how quickly he’s managed to take control of the team and progress it from the legacy Morgs has left. Jos has now created his own legacy – 20-20 World Cup-winning captain. He [Morgan] had the chance but someone blew that up, not quite sure who that was [laughs, referring to the 4 sixes hit by Carlos Brathwaite in the final over bowled by him in the 2016 20-20 World Cup final].
“He’s [Buttler] incredible, he’s a guy who everyone follows in the field. I think it shouldn’t be taken for granted how hard it can be to make tactical decisions under pressure in this format because it’s so quick but 95 percent of his decision-making as a captain, he’s got absolutely right this tournament. And we know he is mad with the bat, he’s played some seriously good match-winning performances and we are lucky to have him,” he added.
Watch the interview here:
🗣️ "What is it about you and World Cup finals then?"
🗣️ "Err, Dunno" 🤣Ben Stokes, what a man 🙌 pic.twitter.com/3DuXvEe3NL
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 13, 2022
Coming back to the match, England won the toss and elected to field first in the all-important final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Pakistan posted 137/8 after their allotted 20 overs. Sam Curran picked up 3/12 for England.
In reply to Pakistan’s total, England lost wickets at regular intervals against some quality Pakistan bowling. But Ben Stokes kept chipping away with the target as he consistently rotated the strike and scored some quick boundaries in the end to win the game for his side. England clinched their second 20-20 World Cup title after their first one in 2010. Sam Curran was awarded both ‘Player of the Match’ and ‘Player of the Series.’
