Pakistan v England 2nd T20I Review: England win the battle of nerves in an exciting finish

Pakistan v England 2nd T20I Review: England win the battle of nerves in an exciting finish: A match which went on till the final over, Pakistan nearly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. But it was just not meant to be, as England defeated the hosts by 3 runs, sealing the T20I series with a match to spare. While Vince impressed once again with an impressive knock, it was the bowlers who pulled back the team into the competition. Whereas Pakistan would be ruling about their missed chances, with captain Afridi’s all-round effort going in vain.

Luck has really been in England’s side over the past couple of weeks, as they won yet another toss at Dubai, and unsurprisingly, decided to bat first. Surprisingly, he made 4 changes from the last match, as he brought in Root, Rashid, Buttler and Woakes. The batsmen got off to a steady start, but Afridi stuck on the very first ball of his spell, sending off Hales back to the hut.

The batsmen got off to starts, but never really managed to get along. Afridi got his second for the night by sending back Roy, whereas Root played one shot too many against Shoaib Malik. Things seemed to settle down after the outburst, as Vince and Buttler took their time to settle. Vince also got into the act but soon perished trying to hit Afridi out of the park. On the process of taking his third wicket, Afridi became Pakistan’s highest ever wicket-taker in the format.

Buttler took over the reigns from Vince, smacking 3 hits over the park, but couldn’t carry on till the end of the innings. Billings did not follow up his excellent knock very well, as he perished for a meager 11. A nice little cameo from Chris Woakes at the end of the innings drove England to an above par 172.

A nice start was a necessity for Pakistan to have any chance to chase down the target, and the openers provided exactly the same. Though Rafatullah still looked rusty out in the middle, Shehzad got into the act once he settled. But some excessive flamboyance ended his stay, as a calm Perry got his man. The run-rate was creeping up, and even Rafatullah perished trying to keep up with the scoring rate.

Hafeez, who had created a fifty partnership with Rafatullah, failed to convert his start into a big knock, as Plunkett, who was hammered all over the park in the first over, came back well to dismiss Hafeez. Thereafter, the Pakistani team started to lose its path. Maqsood completely misjudged a Rashid’s googly, whereas Akmal fell to a dubious decision. Soon after, Malik, trying to get along with the run-rate, perished to a nifty off cutter. Just when the match looked done and dusted, it was exactly when the real match started.

No one would believe that an 8-ball knock can change the dynamics of a match unless of course the name is Shahid Afridi. Showing glimpses of his best, Afridi just smacked Woakes all over the park, before getting dismissed. Though it should have demotivated the hosts even further, Sarfaraz took up the responsibility. A good 14-run over against Willy ensured that Pakistan needed just 11 off the final over, but the match took yet another twist. Sarfaraz, trying to be cheeky, went on for a scoop, only managed to divert it back to the stumps.

The match was not yet over, as Tanvir smacked the very first ball he faced for a boundary. But some excellent bowling from Woakes, and considering the fact that it was the tail who were given the responsibility to score 7 of 4, England sealed off the series with a game to go.

Summary:

Yet another impressive batting performance from the English batsmen. But Pakistan nearly made it through, thanks to some entertaining knocks from their batsmen, but they could not make it past the finishing line, as England bagged the series 2-0.

Brief Scores:

England – 172/8 in 20 overs (Vince 38, Buttler 33; Afridi 3/15)

Pakistan – 169/8 in 20 overs (Shehzad 28, Malik 26; Plunkett 3/33)

3rd T20I: England v Pakistan at Sharjah on Nov 30, 2015
20:00 local | 16:00 GMT
England won the T20I series with the 2nd match and lead the series 2-0 into the 3rd match. Watch the Live Streaming of the T20I series at Cricketgateway.com