Published 11:33 IST, September 2nd 2020
Pakistan beat England in last-over thriller despite Tom Banton's 46; watch video
Pakistan beat England in the final match of the T20I series by five runs in a thrilling match then went till the last over, with the series ending at 1-1.
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In a thrilling tie that went till the last ball, Pakistan beat England in the third T20I of the England vs Pakistan 2020 series on Tuesday. Babar Azam’s men won the game by 5 runs with the win ensuring that the three-match series finished 1-1. The culmination of the final T20I drew the curtains on an eventful Pakistan's tour of England, which saw England win the Test series earlier by a 1-0 margin.
Pakistan hold their nerve to win thriller against England
Pakistan came into the game knowing that they hadn’t won an away game in any format since the 2019 World Cup as Babar Azam’s men were looking to end that torrid run of form. Batting first, Pakistan lost opener Fakhar Zaman in just the second over, as he was dismissed by Moeen Ali. Captain Babar Azam went soon after, scoring 21 before being bowled by Tom Curran.
However, after the first two wickets, it was two cricketers at a contrasting stage of their careers who stitched together a hundred run partnership. Pakistan veteran Mohammad Hafeez and debutant Haider Ali showed great skill and technique as they kept the scoreboard ticking with some delightful batting. While Ali was eventually dismissed for 54, Hafeez powered on as his unbeaten 86 helped Pakistan set England a target of 191.
England’s innings started just like Pakistan after Jonny Bairstow departed for a duck early on. Despite useful contributions from Tom Banton, Moeen Ali and Sam Billings, Pakistan continued to chip in with wickets at regular intervals with pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Wahab Riaz impressing. The final England vs Pakistan contest of the series ultimately came down to the last over. 17 were needed of the final six deliveries, with Adil Rashid and Tom Curran at the crease and Haris Rauf was given the bowling responsibility.
The equation finally came down to 12 of two and Pakistan fans must have surely had their hearts in their mouths after the penultimate ball was dispatched by Curran for a six. However, Rauf managed to hold his nerve, bowling a dot ball next as Pakistan won the match by five runs, denying England their sixth consecutive T20 series win.
England’s next assignment will see them face Australia at home. The England vs Australia 2020 series will see three T20 internationals being played. The England vs Australia 2020 series will begin from September 4, with the first T20 taking place at Southampton. The IPL 2020 will soon follow the England vs Australia 2020 series and Tom Banton’s performance against Pakistan will surely have gotten the Kolkata Knight Riders excited.
Throughout the series, Tom Banton impressed for England at the top of the order. Bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹1 crore, the cricketer would be looking to make a mark during the IPL 2020, which is scheduled to begin later this month.
Image Courtesy: England Cricket Twitter
11:33 IST, September 2nd 2020