The series between the two sides, full of intense action, drama, twists and turns, came to a rather tame end as the visitors hammered the hosts in the decider. Dawid Malan scored 78 not-out, whereas Chris Woakes claimed 3 for 26 as England defeated Pakistan by 67 runs in the seventh T20I on Sunday.
Malan started for the visitors as he smashed an unbeaten 78 off just 47 balls to help his side post a strong total of 209/3. Later Woakes led the way with the ball, picking 3 for 26 in his four overs as England restricted Pakistan to 142/8.
Babar Azam’s decision to send the opposition in to bat first did not quite work out as Phil Salt and Alex Hales blasted 39 runs in four overs. However, England lost both their openers in the fifth over – first, Hales (18 off 13) was pinned lbw by Mohammad Hasnain, and then a mix-up saw Salt (20 off 12) short of his crease.
Malan then joined hands with an in-form Ben Duckett. The duo added 62 runs for the third wicket in just 5.2 overs before Duckett was run out by some excellent work from Mohammad Rizwan behind the stumps. Duckett finished his series with an impressive 233 runs at 46.60 average and 159.58 strike rate.
Malan was joined by England’s best batter on the tour Harry Brook as the pair continued to press on. Malan completed his fifty off 34 balls before accelerating further and finishing on 78* off 47. The England number three returned to form at the right time. Harry Brook struggled for timing early but then belted four sixes in his knock of 46 not-out off 29. Brook finished the series with 238 runs at an average of 79 while striking at 163.
The England pair added an unbroken stand of 108 runs in 10.1 overs. For Pakistan, Haris Rauf was brilliant with the ball, bowling crucial overs and conceding just 24 runs but was unlucky to end up wicketless.
Pakistan got off to an awful start as Woakes had Azam (4) caught at the short cover with a well-disguised slower ball in the very first over. Reece Topley then castled another pillar of the Pakistan batting, Rizwan (1), with a full-length inswing delivery.
After losing both the openers, the hosts batted as if they had already given up. The middle order of Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah played more for their spots. Masood was the top scorer with 56 in 43 balls. Woakes returned into the attack in the later stages to remove Asif Ali and Masood.
The series marks the first victory for England since the former captain Eoin Morgan’s retirement. Jos Buttler did not play a single game due to his recovery process but was present there in more of a mentor’s capacity.
Brook was the biggest beneficiary of the series as he pushed his case for a spot in England’s first XI for the T20 World Cup. Mark Wood’s return to full fitness and form was also great news for England. Pakistan ended up with more questions than solutions following a long series – a rather missed opportunity.
Brief scores
England 209/3 in 20 overs (Malan 78*, Brook 46; Rauf 0/24) defeated Pakistan 142/8 in 20 overs (Masood 56, Shah 26; Woakes 3/26, Willey 2/22) by 67 runs.
