England beat Pakistan by 3 wickets in the 3^rd T20I, at the Emirates Old Trafford, today in a thrilling climax  to take the series 2-1.

 

Match Summary

England vs Pakistan, 3rd T20I

England 155/7 (19.4 ov)

Pakistan 154/6 (20 ov)

Result - England won by 3 wickets

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Match Report - Salim Parvez

England home in a low-scoring thriller

A nail-biting contest went England’s way, when they beat Pakistan by three wickets, with only two balls to spare, to also win the series 2-1. An ideal preparation for Eoin Morgan’s side for the forthcoming T20I World Cup to be played in UAE, in few months’ time.

The third and deciding T20I at Old Trafford kicked off at 6.30pm in blazing sunshine and great atmosphere created by supporters of both England and Pakistan. Babar Azam took the right option after winning the toss and with his trusted opening partner Mohammad Rizwan, added 42 runs.

England did well to restrict Pakistan to 50-1 in the six overs of first Powerplay. All things considered, the tourists needed a total in the region of 180 to stay in the game. A series of ill-judged lofted attempts against the wrist spin of Adil Rashid, left them floundering at 69-3 in 8.4 overs. The innings lost its momentum and it needed something very special to drag them back in the game. England were operating with three slow bowlers as the score got to 100 in 12.4 overs and Rizwan playing an anchor’s role got his fifty off 38 balls.

Batting was certainly bit more challenging compared to the first two T20I games at Trent Bridge and Headingley and Pakistan 114-4 off 16.2 overs was perhaps 25 runs short at this stage. Rashid picked up another wicket in his final over (17^th of the innings) and ended with 4-35, possibly a match-turning effort. Moeen Ali only conceded 19 runs in his four overs. A feeble middle order left it too much for Rizwan – unbeaten 76 off 57 balls, 5 fours, 3 sixes – and Pakistan could only reach 154-6.

Pakistan’s only chance to defend this average total was to pick up 2-3 wickets in the first Powerplay, with three slow bowlers in their line-up. It didn’t happen. Jason Roy looked in good nick and had reached 34 off 21 balls in England’s 45-0 in the six overs. Few fielding errors and the batting side seemed to hold all the aces as Roy sped to fifty off 30 balls. By the 10^th over, England had reached 81-1 and the game almost in the bag with Pakistan spinners not creating much threat. Roy was dismissed for 64 (36 balls, 12 fours, 1 six) and his all-out aggression had paid off. His departure was followed up with another two wickets and there was a phase when runs simply dried up. England skipper Eoin Morgan’s two sixes in the 18^th over, bowled by Hasan Ali, leaving 16 runs to be scored off the last two overs.

Match Stats

Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat, scoring 154/6 in their 20 overs.

Fall of wickets:  Pakistan: 1-42 (Babar Azam - 5.2 ov), 2-67 (Sohaib Maqsood - 8.1 ov), 3-69 (Mohammad Hafeez - 8.4 ov), 4-114 (Fakhar Zaman - 15.2 ov), 5-125 (Shadab Khan - 16.6 ov), 6-129 (Imad Wasim - 17.3 ov)

In reply, England got home by 3 wickets in the final over.

Fall of wickets: 1-67 (Jos Buttler - 7.6 ov), 2-92 (Jason Roy - 10.5 ov), 3-104 (Jonny Bairstow - 13.2 ov), 4-112 (Moeen Ali - 14.6 ov), 5-143 (Dawid Malan - 18.4 ov), 6-149 (Liam Livingstone - 18.6 ov), 7-151 (Eoin Morgan - 19.2 ov)

Playing XIs:

England - Jos Buttler (c & wk), Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Tom Curran, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Matthew Parkinson

Pakistan - Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Sohaib Maqsood, Mohammad Hafeez, Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali/Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain

Match Details

Start Time: 18:30

Toss: Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat

Venue: Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester

Officials: Alexander Wharf, David Millns, Martin Saggers, Steve O'Shaughnessy, Wayne Noon

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