Adil Rashid inspired collapse for Pakistan from 59 for 0 to 85 for 5 after the rain break proved to be a thorn in Pakistan’s progression as A disciplined, all-round bowling performance from England especially Adil Rashid , followed by a brutal barrage of top-order hitting from openers Jos Buttler and Phil Salt saw England crush Pakistan by 7 wickets with 27 balls to spare, and claim a 2-0 series win.
Fine bowling spells by pacer Mark Wood and spinner Adil Rashid combined with some ferocious hitting by openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler helped England secure a series victory after a seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the fourth and final T20I at London on Thursday night. With this win, England has taken the four-match series 2-0. Two matches were called off due to rain, and only the second and fourth T20Is were played.
Pitch and Toss
Like other venues in England, even the Kennington Oval in London offers a good surface to bat on. But there is something in the pitch for the new ball bowlers before it gets flattened out. The venue has hosted 18 TG20I matches so far with 10 being won by teams batting first. However, with rain all across the UK, the team winning the toss is expected to bowl first. A score around 170-180 could be par at this venue.
England skipper Jos Buttler who returned as skipper for the final T20Is post the birth of his child opted to bowl first with Mark Wood replacing Reece Topley in the playing 11. Pakistan skipper Babar Azam batting first made two changes in his squad bringing in Usman Khan and Naseem Shah for Saim Ayub and Imad Wasim
Pakistan batter excels in powerplay.
Put in to bat, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s reunion at the top bore immediate fruits in the form of a quick 59-run opening stand but once the Pakistan captain was dismissed off the last ball of the PowerPlay, things slipped from 59/0 to 86/5 very quickly in an Adil Rashid-inspired collapse on both sides of a brief rain break.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who opened the batting for the first time this year, got Pakistan off to a steady start in the first four overs before finishing the powerplay strongly; the 59 they managed was Pakistan’s second-highest powerplay score since January. But England struck back with five wickets for 27 runs either side of a brief rain break, spearheaded by Adil Rashid.
Adil Rashid trigger collapse as Pakistan slump from 59 for 0 to 86 for 5 in middle overs
Rizwan and Babar had given Pakistan a platform, but what happened off the final ball of the powerplay was more significant than anything that went before. The Pakistan captain edged one to short third, which Adil Rashid held on to. The openers have often been accused of slowing down after the powerplay, so when Rashid breached Rizwan’s defenses next over, the middle order had their platform laid out for them.
But Fakhar Zaman holed out as Adil Rashid took a sharp catch during a passage of play when he simply couldn’t be kept out of the game. Adil Rashid returned to clean up Shadab Khan first ball, with Mark Wood’s sheer pace sending Azam Khan packing for a five-ball duck. His nightmare was only just beginning.
Pakistan needed more runs from their middle-order. But instead, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan and Azam Khan all fell in the space of nine deliveries without troubling the scorers much. Shadab and Azam, in fact, returned noughts.
Livingstone’s bowling heroics as Pakistan ended with 157 after 20 overs
Every time Livingstone was thrown the ball by Buttler, it seemed like the time for Pakistan to sneak in a big over. And yet, the spinner found a way to bowl perfect lines to perfectly set fields; the big shot never quite seemed to be on.
But not content with being milked for 16 in his first two, Livingstone bowled the most impactful over of the game in the 15th, sending down a double-wicket maiden. Pakistan’s top-scorer Usman holed out to Jordan before Shaheen Afridi smeared at one that eventually hit his stumps. By the time Livingstone was done, the last dregs of Pakistan’s batting resistance had been stomped out of them.
It was only later that Usman Khan (38) and Iftikhar Ahmed (21) added 40 runs for the sixth wicket which set up Pakistan for their 157 all out, but like was the feeling at the change of innings, the runs weren’t enough in the end.
Brief, happy-go-lucky resistance from Usman Khan – whose 21-ball 38 bolstered Pakistan when they were in danger of crumpling – kept hopes of a competitive target alive for long enough. But Liam Livingstone, who England utilized to perfection in the middle overs, prized him out thanks to a stunning catch from Chris Jordan, and Pakistan eventually folded for 157.
Jos Buttler and Phil Salt teaches Pakistan how to play in Powerplay
Chasing a modest target of 159, openers Jos Buttler (39 off 21) and Phil Salt (45 off 24) got off the blocks early and added 78 runs in the PowerPlay en route to their 82-run opening stand. There was a suspicion it wasn’t quite enough, but England’s openers made a mockery of the idea it was ever even in doubt. Mohammad Amir was leathered for 16 in his first over, Naseem Shah pulverized for 25. England scored 78 in the Powerplay, their highest since they managed 82 in Lahore against the same opposition in 2022.
Shaheen and Naseem might have been slightly unlucky to concede 18 without reward in the first two, but everything that followed was a one-sided drubbing. Even the pace of the wicket played in the batters’ favour, the touch and timing of Buttler and Salt meaning caresses flew to the boundary. Pakistan’s bowlers, flustered and harried, found their lengths wavering and their pace one-dimensional. It was only too easy for England’s openers to take full advantage.
Haris Rauf takes 3 wickets but Azam Khan’s poor outing gifts England 2-0 series win over Pakistan
Haris Rauf provided the breakthrough with the wicket of Salt, and went on to pick Buttler and Will Jacks in his successive overs in a fiery spell but it could only do so much as England cantered to the target with 27 balls to spare, thanks to Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook’s unbeaten stand.
Bairstow hit a boundary and as many as three sixes in his 16-ball 28 even as Rauf, the only bowler to strike for Pakistan, finished with 3 for 38. Azam receiving a snorter of a short ball he wasn’t mobile enough to evade was just the start of his horror day. With his credentials as a middle-order batter severely diminished by his stint in the side, his status as their wicketkeeper also took a battering.
Stationed there only because he can’t be hidden elsewhere, he dropped two straightforward chances off an otherwise impressive Rauf, with his embarrassment so palpable it was borderline uncomfortable viewing. When he eventually did grasp a straightforward catch, Rizwan jogged up to give him a pat on the back. You would imagine it isn’t long before Rizwan is stood there permanently again.
England must be delighted with the workout for Jofra Archer, playing his first few matches after March 2023, and Mark Wood (2/35), who played his first white-ball match for England since the ODI World Cup in India. Rashid’s 2 for 27, which included the wickets of Rizwan and Shadab, earned him the Player of the Match award but Liam Livingstone (2 for 17) wasn’t far behind in terms of figures.
Haris Rauf restored some respectability to the score with three wickets in a fiery, spirited spell, the hosts wouldn’t even let him have the last laugh, with Harry Brook clobbering him for six over cover to seal a statement-making win before their World Cup defence begins.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Babar Azam the loosing skipper said : First six overs, we played very well. After that, the momentum shifted as wickets fell. Our middle-order needs to step up. You need 2-3 good overs in the middle and in the death as well. England’s bowling was very good. Hopefully we don’t do this in the World Cup. We made a couple of changes due to the injuries. Our powerplay was good. We have played good cricket in patches.
Jos Buttler the winning skipper and Player of the Series said : The performance really (pleased me the most). We worked hard in the training, there’s a good feeling in the squad. They got off to a good start but the guys managed to peg it back to a par score. It would have been great to have two more games.
We have some good experience. Few guys have been playing the IPL as well, so not short of cricket. Selection is always difficult, which is a nice place to be. Good to see Mark Wood and Jofra Archer operate together on a pitch that had something in it.
Adil Rashid Player of the Match for his bowling performance said : It was more so assessing the conditions. Trying to be clever in terms of varying the pace. As a spin department, we got to assess the conditions quickly there (in the World Cup). Hopefully we can deliver. I try to work on certain things, develop and try to get better. Few things have fallen in place. Hopefully we get another trophy.
Convincing victory for the hosts and they win the series 2-0. This win was set up by their bowlers. Inserted to bat, the visitors got off to a brisk start as Babar Azam and Rizwan – reunited at the top of the order – scored 59 runs off the powerplay. Both of them were dismissed in quick succession and Pakistan slipped to 86/5. Usman Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed stitched a 40-run stand but once they were separated, the tourists kept losing wickets to get bowled out for 157.
In reply, England wasted little time to get off the blocks. Salt was the aggressor initially but Buttler was quick to join him and the duo scored 78 runs off the powerplay. Haris Rauf bowled a fiery spell as he picked three wickets in three overs but the damage had already been done by the England openers. Bairstow and Harry Brook got to spend some time out in the middle and they finished the job with 27 balls to spare.
England ticked a lot of boxes in this series. As Buttler mentioned, they’ll be pleased with the way their speedsters – Jofra Archer and Mark Wood – operated. The World Champions once again possess an enviable batting line-up that has a lot of firepower.
They are certainly one of the favourites going into the World Cup. Pakistan, on the other hand, have a few issues to address. Two under-par performances with the bat, Azam Khan’s struggles behind the sticks and their new ball bowlers failing to provide the early breakthroughs. Different conditions for the WC and Pakistan will hope for a change in their fortunes.