Pakistan v England: England win Super-Over to take series 3-0
While, England made 154-8 where in reply Pakistan was also restricted to 154-7 Shoaib Malik played his career best innings of 75 but didn’t able to finish things up.
Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler scrambled five runs in five balls to win the match and the series 3-0.
Opener James Vince top-scored with 46 – but he was starved of the the strike so much that he was only dismissed in the last over of England’s 154-8. “I’m enjoying every minute of it. It’s been a steady start”, said Vince, who may move up to open the batting in Sharjah as England assess their options ahead of March’s T20 World Cup in India.
Rashid and Willey will travel to the Big Bash in Australia next week to put themselves in exactly those sorts of situations before rejoining the wider squad for a two-match assignment against South Africa in February.
Sam Billings was extremely well held at long-on by Umar Akmal, who had to catch the ball and throw it back in to collect his own parry and avoid stepping on the rope.
Jordan conceded just three runs in the all important super-over against Shahid Afridi and Umar Akmal after the game ended in a tie.
Chris Jordan has revealed that confidence in England’s plan in the super over was crucial to guiding his side to success in the third T20 global against Pakistan.
“He’s our best yorker bowler so once we decided on that plan, it was an easy decision to go to him”.
That Pakistan managed to get the scores level was down to the flaying of Malik and the impetus of Afridi.
But by the 18th over, the required run rate had soared to over 10 runs per over, and Afridi, in an attempt to hoist Willey over fine-leg, lost his leg-stump. The move backfired immediately when debutant fast bowler Aamer Yamin trapped Jason Roy leg before wicket with his first delivery in global cricket.
Joe Root has appeared in ominous touch as he coasted to 32, and past Kevin Pietersen’s seven-year record for the most runs by an England batsman in a calendar year, before he and Moeen fell to Afridi.
“I used to bat number three when I went into the Hampshire side, so it’s something I’m used to doing”.
Malik reached his 50 in 39 balls.
England captain Eoin Morgan: “It’s really topped off a fantastic tour”.
Rotation has been a regular theme in the T20 series as selectors look to establish a starting XI for the Twenty20 World Cup in India next year. However, in the last match, Pakistan got extremely close to ending their poor run. We wanted to see more guys in pressure situations.
England’s T20 domination has served as a wake-up call to Pakistan and Captain Shahid “Boom Boom” Afridi, due to the relative inexperience of England in the shortest, most explosive format of cricket. He got most of his yorkers right and bowled smart.
“Shoaib Malik set an example to the others with the bat and others should learn from him”.
While Pakistan has never been guilty of playing in a regimented manner, England seems to have embraced spontaneity wholeheartedly.