Ben Stokes and Sam Curran starred as England edged Pakistan by five wickets to win the Twenty20 World Cup on Sunday.

Doing so they become the sport’s first dual white-ball champions, holding both the 50 and 20-over titles.

Jos Buttler’s side held Pakistan to 137-8 in front of a partisan 80,462 fans at a heaving Melbourne Cricket Ground, with player-of-the-match Curran bagging 3-12 and Adil Rashid chipping with 2-22.

In reply, England slumped to 49-3 in the sixth over as they struggled to get any momentum against a fiery pace attack, with boundaries hard to come by.

But Stokes (52 not out) and Moeen Ali (19) used their experience and cool heads to guide England to 138-5 with six balls to spare, climaxing a riveting tournament that spanned 45 games over nearly a month.

The victory added to the 50-over title England won in 2019, building on the legacy of former captain Eoin Morgan, who retired this year after transforming the team into a white-ball juggernaut.

It was England’s second T20 crown after tasting success in 2010, joining the West Indies as the only two-time winners since the tournament’s inception in 2007.

The game was billed as a showdown between Pakistan’s attack and England’s top order, and Shaheen Afridi bowled danger man Alex Hales in the first over of the run chase.

But that only fired up Buttler who smashed two boundaries off Naseem Shah.

Phil Salt, playing in place of the injured Dawid Malan, didn’t last, making just 10 before pulling Haris Rauf to Iftikhar Ahmed

The ball was swinging and seaming and the menacing Rauf claimed the key wicket of Buttler just as he was getting in, edging to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan on 26 off 17 balls.

The runs dried up and Harry Brook needed treatment for a blow to his elbow but he soldiered on as they reached 77-3 at the halfway point of the innings, compared to Pakistan’s 68-2.

Brook came undone on 20 against the spin of Shadab Khan, holing out to Afridi as he tried to get the scoreboard moving.

It came down to needing 41 runs off the final five overs.

Stokes relieved the pressure with a four and a six off Ahmed and there was no stopping them with the England all-rounder hitting the winning runs.

Rashid strikes

With forecast rain staying away, England produced disciplined and economical bowling to stymie 2009 champions Pakistan, with Shan Masood’s 38 the top score.

Stokes was given the new ball after England won the toss and chose to field with Pakistan lucky to survive the over intact as opener Rizwan was almost run out going for a risky single.

Rizwan and Babar Azam shared a century partnership in their semi-final against New Zealand, but another big stand wasn’t to be, with Rizwan dragging a delivery from Curran on to his stumps on 15.

The introduction of Rashid soon after the six-over powerplay reaped an immediate reward with Mohammad Haris (8) attacking him on his first ball only to sky a simple catch to Stokes.

Masood began swinging the bat in the second half of the innings, hitting a four and six off Liam Livingstone.

But once again Rashid got the breakthrough, pulling off a diving catch from his own bowling to claim the vital wicket of Azam, whose 32 came off 28 balls.

Ahmed only lasted six balls before Masood and Shadab Khan (20) fell in the space of two runs as Curran and Chris Jordan kept the lid on any hope Pakistan had of a late flurry.

Playing XI

Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

England: Jos Buttler (captain and wicketkeeper), Alex Hales, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, and Adil Rashid.

It would be a fairytale finish for the Men in Green if they beat confident England, who look to become the first nation to hold both global white-ball trophies and deny Pakistan repeating the 1992 World Cup victory against them at the same venue.

But, Melbourne’s fickle weather is deciding factor for now as showers are expected in the host city today. Heavy rain could disrupt the MCG showdown and even see the teams crowned joint champions if unable to complete a match of at least 10 overs per side by the end of the reserve day on Monday.

However, conditions should hold up long enough to deliver a contest between the two nations who played for the 50-overs World Cup 30 years ago at the MCG.

After shaky starts both hit top gear in the semi-finals, with Pakistan easing to a seven-wicket win over New Zealand in Sydney and England humiliating India by 10 wickets in Adelaide.

Pakistan, the 2009 champions, have had a charmed tournament since pushed to the brink of elimination by Zimbabwe, with the Netherlands helping them into the semi-finals by eliminating South Africa.

Thirty years after Imran Khan’s Pakistan claimed the 1992 World Cup, Babar Azam’s team may feel it is their destiny to deliver trophy.

“Of course the similarities are (there),” Babar told reporters of the 1992 final.

“But we will try to win the trophy as it is an honour for me to lead this team, especially in this big ground.”

England, the reigning 50-overs world champions, are looking to win a second global T20 title after their 2010 triumph and to build on the legacy of former captain Eoin Morgan, who transformed the team into a white-ball juggernaut.

New skipper Jos Buttler had big shoes to fill following Morgan’s retirement but has led from the front with rehabilitated opener Alex Hales.

Opening partnerships were decisive in the semi-finals, with Buttler and Hales routing India with a 170-run stand the night after Babar and Mohammad Rizwan set up victory over New Zealand with a 105-run stand.

Both teams’ bowlers will be under pressure to strike early, lest the game quickly get away from them.

“Utilising the powerplay to grab as many wickets will be essential for the match,” said Babar.

There are few secrets between the teams, with Pakistan edged 4-3 by England in a T20 series at home.

They also played a rain-affected World Cup warm-up in Brisbane, which England won by six wickets.

Unhappy hunting ground

Neither have had success in this tournament at the MCG, though, with Pakistan losing a Super 12 thriller to arch-rivals India and England having their sole blemish against Ireland in a rain-hit upset.

“Obviously the Ireland match is a big disappointment for us as a team throughout this tournament, but certainly feels a long time ago now,” said Buttler.

“I think we’ve seen a reaction to that game in the rest of the cricket we’ve played so far.”

Pakistan are likely to be unchanged but England could opt to bring back express paceman Mark Wood and number three batsman Dawid Malan if the pair are fit.

The final has been billed as a battle between Pakistan’s vaunted pace attack and England’s top order, but both sides boast other weapons.

England’s Sam Curran has been a fearless death bowler while legspinner Adil Rashid proved an unlikely hero against India.

Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has captured 10 wickets at the tournament and their maligned middle order carried the team while Babar and Rizwan struggled.

The crowd will be dominated by an army of green-clad Pakistan fans but it may have little impact on England, who delighted in silencing the massive crowd of India supporters at Adelaide Oval.