England wins the nail-biting match & series after 17 years

• Dawid Malan and the bowlers led England to a series victory over Pakistan.
• Phil Salt had to leave the game after just 20 runs.
• While Alex Hales hit three home runs.

Dawid Malan and the bowlers led England to a series victory over Pakistan, in the grand finale of the seven-match T20I series, played here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first. The English team took advantage of this decision and set a lofty 210-run mark before limiting the hosts to 142 runs in 20 overs, helped by Malan’s outstanding bowling effort and 78 runs in 47 balls.

With their respective returns of Mohammad Rizwan (1) and Babar Azam (4) to the pavilion, Reece Topley and Chris Woakes gave England an early advantage.

Despite playing a 56-run innings, Shan Masood was unable to execute good hitting to assist Pakistan in reaching the large total.

Khushdil Shah managed to score 27 runs, compared to Iftikhar Ahmed’s 19 runs.

Woakes picked up three wickets, and David Willey took two.

Sam Curran and Adil Rashid each took one victim out of the hosts’ batting order.

Earlier, Pakistan’s poor fielding paid them dearly as Dawid Malan capitalised on his missed opportunities to lead England to a series-clinching total of 209-3 in just 20 overs against Pakistan.

Malan had two opportunities: the first came after Mohammad Wasim Jr. was dropped by captain Babar Azam in the 18th over of Haris Rauf.

Pakistani bowlers, with the exception of Haris, had trouble establishing themselves during the previous match.

The muscular opening pair for England, Alex Hales and Phil Salt, immediately launched a baton attack and appeared dangerous. Before Mohammad Hasnain removed Hales from the game, the two batters totaled 39 runs in four overs.

The right-handed batter hit three home runs and scored 18 points. Shadab Khan’s direct and accurate throw to the stumps from short third man position allowed dangerous-looking Salt, the hero from Friday night, to remain unlucky to be run-out.

Salt had to leave the game after just scoring 20 runs.

Malan, a left-hander who batted for 78 runs while remaining unbeaten and hitting eight boundaries and three sixes, was the star of England’s innings. Pakistani fielders who dropped him twice are to be credited for his impressive performance at the crease.

Ben Duckett scored 30 before being run out by the outstanding Mohammad Rizwan, but Harry Brook once again showed why he is a true PSL product by surviving unbeaten for 46 off 29 balls, which included four sixes and a boundary. Babar also dumped him off Haris.

Pakistan’s only wicket-taker was Hasnain.

Toss

Pakistan won the toss and decided to bowl first against England in series deciding seventh T20I here at Gaddadi Stadium today.

Playing XIs

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Khushdil Shah, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf

England: Phil Salt (wk), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali (c), Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Reece Topley

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