Second T20: England defeat Pakistan by 5 wickets

MANCHESTER: England on Sunday defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the second Twenty 20 International at Old Trafford ground in Manchester. 

As per details, Pakistan posted 195 for four in their 20 overs on a flat wicket, but the home side completed their victory with five balls to spare and a take 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

We set England a target of 196 to win.#ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/h2UJDUtpXD

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 30, 2020

Pakistan’s innings

Mohammad Hafeez and Babar Azam both hit the fifties as Pakistan piled up an imposing 195-4 against England.

Hafeez top-scored with 69 after Pakistan captain and opener Babar, launched the innings with 56 runs.

Leg-spinner Adil Rashid briefly checked Pakistan´s progress with 2-32 from his maximum four overs.

However, the rest of 50-over world champions England’s attack lacked penetration, with seamer Tom Curran conceding 46 runs — including 23 off one over.

Match Summary!
England won by five wickets. #ENGvPAK Scorecard: https://t.co/x8XHscmDaC pic.twitter.com/6NRl1swYkj

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 30, 2020

In a match where both sides were unchanged after Friday’s opener in a three-match series ended as a no-result washout, the tourists were sent into bat by Eoin Morgan, the England captain.

But Babar, who pulled the first ball of the match from fast bowler Saqib Mahmood for four, was unconcerned as he struck boundaries off-spinners and seamers alike.

Fellow opener Fakhar Zaman saw his brisk 36 ends when he skyed Rashid to long-on to leave his side 72. Babar completed a fine fifty with a superb extra-cover drive off Rashid his seventh four in 37 balls faced.

Although Rashid had his revenge when Babar miscued a pull to deep midwicket. Hafeez, pulled six off Mahmood kept the runs coming when he pulled a careless Curran no-ball, an above waist-high full toss, for six.

Hafeez’s scooped four off Mahmood to the long leg which saw him to a 26-ball fifty including four fours and three sixes before he was dismissed off the penultimate ball of the innings when he drove Curran to Morgan at extra-cover.

Jonny Bairstow (44 from 24 balls) and Tom Banton (20 from 16 balls) got their side off to a fast start with an opening stand of 66 in 38 deliveries, but when they fell in consecutive balls to spinner Shadab Khan (3-34), the home side appeared to wobble.

But Morgan and Dawid Malan (54 not out in 36 balls) led the counter-attack and accelerated as their third-wicket partnership grew, finishing with 112 in 62 balls before the skipper was caught in the deep with the side still needing 18 runs to win.

Squads

Both teams were unchanged from the sides that played out a no result in Friday’s first of a three-match series in Manchester, where rain ended the match with England 131-6 off 16.1 overs.

England

Jonny Bairstow (wkt), Tom Banton, Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan (capt), Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Lewis Gregory, Tom Curran, Adil Rashid, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood

Pakistan

Babar Azam (capt), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wkt), Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf