Twitter Reactions: Mohammad Hafeez, Haider Ali and pacers script victory for Pakistan in the final T20I
Mohammad Hafeez was the player of the series for his crucial performances.
The Pakistan tour of England which consisted of three-match Test and T20 series ended on September 1 (Tuesday) as the two teams played the third and final T20 International in Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester. The tour started on a good note for the hosts as they clinched the Test series by 1-0 while the visitors managed to draw the T20 series by 1-1 owing to the brilliant display of cricket both by the bowlers and the batsmen in the final match.
The first T20 International was washed away due to persistent rain in Manchester. While the second match was won by Englishmen due to the spellbound knock of 66 runs by the skipper Eoin Morgan. The wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow and the left-handed batsman Dawid Malan also made notable contributions by adding 44 and 54 runs respectively to the scoreboard as their team chased a mammoth target of 196 put by the opposition team.
An insight into the final T20 International between England and Pakistan
On September 1, the visitors had the last chance to secure a win and gain a modicum of confidence before they board their flight back home. The final battle between the Men in Green and the Men in Blue began with the latter winning the toss and opting to field. While England was up with the same playing XI as the second match, Pakistan brought in three changes in the form of Haider Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Wahab Riaz.
Batting first, Pakistan racked up a score of 190 runs at the loss of four wickets as Mohammad Hafeez played a blistering knock of not out 86 runs while Haider Ali also completed his half-century as he smashed 54 runs for 33 balls. From England’s bowling unit, Chris Jordan made a good effort as he bowled a spell of 2/29 in four overs. The Barbadian-born took the wickets of Haider and Shadab Khan.
In reply, the England team could make only 185 runs at the loss of 8 wickets. Though Moeen Ali and Tom Banton led a brilliant fightback to put England in front by smashing 61 and 46 runs respectively, they couldn’t survive in front of Pakistan’s pace bowlers who turned it around in the end to level the series. The seamers namely Shaheen Afridi and Wahab Riaz produced rip-roaring spells of 2/28 and 2/26 respectively. This resulted in the visitors clinching the final match by 5 runs.
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