Former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming has lauded England star all-rounder Ben Stokes for playing a match-winning knock in the final of the T20 World Cup 2022 against Pakistan.
On Sunday, Stokes smashed an unbeaten 52 off 49 balls, decorated with five fours and one hit into the stand, helping the Three Lions register a five-wicket win at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
With the help of Stokes’s knock, England hunted down 138 with six balls to spare.
Fleming lauded Stokes for delivering most times under pressure, regardless of the format he is playing in.
“He is a big presence; he is a big personality and a big winner. Those are the key ingredients that you need from being a good to a great player. What he is doing is forging a career where he is there in key moments; he wins Test matches, he’d been in some unbelievable battles and you’d back him most times to win them,” Fleming was quoted as saying to ESPNcricinfo.
“So his temperament is so tested and comes through every time that you have got to say he is a champion under pressure. And there’s not many that rise to that occasion as much as he seems to do; he gets in a position where he is the main man and everyone around him feeds off that,” he added.
In the 16th over, Stokes hit Iftikhar Ahmed for a four and a six, thereby making England firm favorites to win the title clash.
Chasing a moderate target, England received some blows after Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf picked up crucial wickets before Stokes showed nerves of steel to take the his side home comfortably.