England won their first major World event trophy ten months after a dismal performance in the 2009 T20 World Cup, which featured a shock defeat to the Netherlands in the tournament opener at home. England made the Super 8 after going winless in the group stage, led by 33-year-old Paul Collingwood.
After reaching 191/5, they were defeated by the West Indies with the Duckworth/Lewis (D/L) Method coming into play. The rain gods, on the other hand, compensated by bailing them out against Ireland, who were chasing a tiny total of 121 to win.
The Three Lions, however, made the most out of this opportunity in the next round. A six-wicket win against Pakistan revealed indications of a balanced team finally coming together, while a 39-run thrashing of South Africa confirmed the team’s revival. England then defeated New Zealand by three wickets to book a spot in the semifinals.
When England was asked to bowl first, they reduced Sri Lanka to 38/3 in the Powerplay before spinners Graeme Swann and Michael Yardy tightened the knot in the middle overs, leaving England to chase 129. With an opening partnership of 68, openers Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb made easy work of the Lankan attack, while Kevin Pietersen (42 not out from 26 balls) took England home by seven wickets with four overs to spare.
At 8/3 in the finals, Australia got off to a nightmare start, as Ryan Sidebottom dismissed Shane Watson and Brad Haddin, and David Warner was caught short of his crease. David Hussey (59 off 54 balls) and Cameron White (30 off 19 balls) then guided Australia to a respectable 147/6.
Following Lumb’s dismissal in the second over, a 109-run partnership for the second wicket between Kieswetter and Pietersen kept the chase perfectly on track. In a fitting end to England’s title wait, skipper Collingwood struck the winning runs in the 17th over to take the team home.