A complete bowling performance, following Jos Buttler‘s 84, helped England take 1-0 lead in the four-match T20I series against Pakistan. Put in to bat in Birmingham, after a washout in Leeds earlier this week, captain Jos Buttler headlined England’s 183/6 which seemed sub-par at the halfway mark after a death-overs meltdown. Pakistan, however, had a poor start to the chase, and slipped up again on the other side of the half-century stand between Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam to be shot down for 160 in 19.2 overs.
Jos Buttler, who described Archer’s performance as “brilliant”, was named player of the match for his own innings of 84 off 51 balls. Jos Buttler looked scratchy early on but ruthlessly targeted Shadab Khan, who bowled four wicketless overs for 55, only a fortnight after conceding his previous worst figures of 0 for 54 against Ireland. Buttler brought up 3,000 T20I runs in the process, the first Englishman to reach the landmark.
Pitch and Toss
The surface at Edgbaston tends to favour seam bowlers initially, creating a challenge for batters in the early stages of the innings. The pitch is known to assist extra bounce and pace, giving bowlers an edge early on in the game. However, if the batters can survive the tough period and get settled, run-scoring becomes easier.
As the game progresses, spinners may also come into play and influence the proceedings. The average first innings score at this ground is 143 runs. In 26 matches played at this venue, the team batting first has emerged victorious 17 times. The team that wins the toss will opt to bat first.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and chose to field as Shadab Khan comes in for Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf makes a comeback. England skipper Jos Buttler batting first welcomed Jofra Archer into the team after 3-4 years of injuries.
Jos Buttler goes through the gears in the innings of 84
Jos Buttler, playing a record-equalling 115th T20I for England, inside-edged his fourth ball past his leg stump and though Jos Buttler and Phil Salt traded boundaries in the first three overs, they both struggled for timing. Salt fell early, hauling Imad Wasim’s first ball to Shaheen Afridi at wide long-on, but Will Jacks looked in pristine touch at No. 3.
He lofted the fifth ball he faced for a straight six off Haris Rauf – playing his first match since February, when he dislocated his shoulder at the PSL – and had 21 off 10 balls at the end of the Powerplay, crashing boundaries through the covers off both Haris and Mohammad Amir. At the same stage, Jos Buttler had a more sedate 19 off 17.
But Shadab’s introduction prompted a change in Jos Buttler’s approach: he slapped the first ball of the leg spinner’s over for four, and the final ball disappeared over long-on. Jos Buttler went through his repertoire, deftly scooping Haris for six in between reverse-sweeping and reverse-slog-sweeping Shadab for four and then six. All told, he took 40 off the 15 balls he faced from him.
After a quiet couple of overs, the England openers smacked three boundaries off Shaheen Afridi to force the pacer out of the attack but Imad struck with his very first ball of the game to remove big-hitting Phil Salt for just 13. Will Jacks then joined hands with Jos Buttler to forge a vital 71-run partnership for the second wicket. He got going in the penultimate powerplay over, hitting two boundaries and a six off Haris Rauf to steal 17 off him.
England managed a decent 53/1 from the powerplay and the English skipper Jos Buttler then switched gears, welcoming Shadab Khan with a four and closing the over with a slog sweep over cow corner for a maximum. After a 14-run opening over, the leggie leaked 17 in his next as Buttler raced towards his half-century.
England’s middle-order slide restricts them to 183 for 7 after 20 overs
After Jacks slapped Rauf to point, Jonny Bairstow ground out four runs off his first 10 balls before slog-sweeping Shadab for six in his final over, which cost 20. He crunched Shaheen over extra cover for four then flicked his full toss away for six, but his top-edged pull to deep square leg set about a collapse of 5 for 25 in 25 balls.
Imad – whose four miserly overs cost only 19 runs – bowled Harry Brook as he backed away second-ball, while Jos Buttler mistimed Haris’ slower ball to long-on as he looked to launch at the death. His 84 was his highest score in any international cricket since his hundred against South Africa in February 2023.
Shaheen struck twice in his final over, having Moeen Ali caught at wide long-on and Chris Jordan top-edging to short fine leg. Having looked set for 200, England at least went past 180 thanks to Archer’s cameo but when Liam Livingstone could only toe-end the final ball of the innings back to Amir, Pakistan looked in the game.
England had a soild platform of 96/1 at the halfway mark but the drinks break sucked their momentum as Rauf returned to the attack and got the better of Jacks first ball. The wicket slowed England down even as Buttler kept finding the odd six an over. He was aided by a couple of handy cameos from Jonny Bairstow – 21 off 18 – that took England to the verge of 150 in the 16th over but a couple of quick wickets helped Pakistan claw back.
Bairstow and Harry Brook departed in the space of five deliveries, leaving England at 147/4. Shaheen Afridi triggered another mini collapse in the death overs as the hosts went from 164/4 to 169/7 with the speedster claiming two including the all important scalp of Jos Buttler on 84. Pakistan conceded only 39 runs in the final five overs, 14 of which came in the last one alone as the returning Jofra Archer struck a four and a six to take the home side to a respectable 183/7 whereas they looked set for at least 200 at one stage.
Moeen Ali’s tight start as Pakistan falters at the start
After 14 months since his last match for England, Archer had to wait another five overs until he was brought into the attack: Buttler threw the new ball to Moeen instead, and Mohammad Rizwan fell into the trap. After defending the first two balls of the innings, Rizwan charged down looking to haul Moeen over the leg side but could only pick out Livingstone at short midwicket.
Reece Topley shared the new ball with Archer held back, and struck in his second over when Saim Ayub swung his rising length ball straight to deep square leg. Fakhar was nearly dismissed by the first ball he faced, edging just past Moeen at wide slip, but then deftly scooped his second for four and swung his fourth through midwicket.
However, the visitors had a forgettable start to the chase with the bat as Moeen got England a breakthrough with just the third delivery. The in-form Mohammad Rizwan fell for a duck, trying to hack the spinner across the line. Moeen burnt a review on Saim Ayub in his following over but the opener didn’t last long thereafter, caught at deep backward square trying to pull Reece Topley.
Fakhar Zaman though had different plans, and he wasted no time in launching the counterattack for the remainder of the over saw a flurry of boundaries. After conceding just four in his first-two, even Moeen’s third went for 17 runs as Zaman and Babar went on the offensive to stitch a half-century stand. Zaman was the aggressor, smacking a six and a four off Archer in his very first over to help Pakistan finish the powerplay strong on 55/2.
Jofra Archer’s comeback as England beat Pakistan by 23 runs
Archer’s first ball was right on the money at 86mph/138kph, but his first over – the sixth – cost 15 as Fakhar raced to 27 off his first nine balls. But Babar fell without making much of a dent in the target, trapped lbw on the sweep by Moeen for 32 off 26 balls: the sort of innings that ignites debate over his role in Pakistan’s T20I side.
Fakhar continued to attack, swinging Moeen into the third tier of the pavilion, but struggled to get on strike. Adil Rashid – playing his first match since the ILT20 in February – conceded seven runs in his first two overs and accounted for Shadab, whose difficult afternoon culminated in a miscued slog-sweep to long-on.
Azam Khan crashed Jordan for back-to-back boundaries through point but when he miscued Archer to short cover, England were back on top. Archer’s second over cost only a single, and after Fakhar fell for 45 – swinging Livingstone down to long-on – the required rate climbed towards 12.
Imad and Iftikhar both briefly threatened, both launching towering sixes, but after the latter holed out off Topley, England’s seamers closed things out. Jordan, Archer and Topley conceded a solitary boundary between them in the final 20 balls of the innings, with Shaheen caught at deep midwicket to leave Pakistan bowled out 24 short of their target.
Once the fielding restrictions were off, Buttler took the punt and decided to bowl out Moeen and the allrounder did not disappoint. Back into the attack, he trapped Babar LBW on 32 and even a review couldn’t save the Pakistan skipper. Pakistan’s chase unraveled from thereon even as Zaman hit a monstrous six in retaliation.
Adil Rashid had Shadab Khan holing out in the deep and Archer ended Azam Khan’s brief little cameo on 11 at the start of the 12th over. Zaman went down fighting, welcoming Liam Livingstone into the attack with a six but eventually spooning a simple catch to long-on five away from what would have been a deserving half-century.
Imad and Iftikhar Ahmed also launched a counter attack, hammering three sixes and as many fours between them to take 18 off the Rashid over and 16 in Topley’s, though the pacer put an end to the fireworks. Rather, it was Iftikhar who threw away a perfect start, slogging one high in the air for long-on to settle under and complete a match-winning catch. Archer took out the other set batter to put the final nail in the coffin. Pakistan lost the final two quickly thereafter, folding with four balls to spare.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Babar Azam the loosing skipper said :
“It was a par score, our bowlers bowled very well. In the batting, there were moments, but we didn’t finish well. Small partnership between me and Fakhar and later on, there was no big partnership. If someone got 40 and 50s, it could have been different. We are flexible, everyone knows their role. We have decided each player’s role. If you are not in good form, we are flexible,”
“The way Fakhar dominated after wickets fell … if me and Fakhar had batted for three more overs, it would have been a different ball game. (On Imad Wasim) He is experienced, he knows how to bowl at different situations and how read the batsman. He’s a very clever bowler. In the batting, he has improved a lot, so good for us,”
“Shadab is one of the best players, batting, bowling and especially fielding. He’ll come back. We announced the team (for WC), we are giving confidence,”
Jos Buttler Player of the Match for his 84 runs said :
“We got huge amount out of it (the match). First and foremost, win the game, that’s what we wanted. That’s a big tick in the box. A great performance from everybody. (On his own batting) You always want to be playing well. Feel like I am hitting the ball well, which is great. Nice to play well today. (On Archer) He was brilliant, you can see the emotions. Taking wickets again for England, it’s fantastic,”
“You got to temper the expectations, it’s a long time, he’s not going to be the Jofra Archer of old straightaway. But, a really positive performance. It’s trying to absolutely want to get games into him but look after him as well. The whole bowling group was brilliant. Rash (Rashid) has been like that for a long time. Those two overs from Chris Jordan at the death were outstanding,”
A decent effort in the end, but England were always ahead, especially after a superb first 4 overs which saw Pakistan lose both openers and struggle to force the pace. Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman gave hope with a brisk 28-ball 53-run stand for the third wicket, but England kept chipping away with wickets and kept Pakistan pegged back.
Zaman’s 45 was impressive, Iftikhar and Imad made useful 20s, but both fell in the quest of quick runs and the chase was frittered away. Moeen bowled with the new ball and took 2 wickets, Jofra was impressive after a tough first over, Topley enjoyed himself with 3 scalps and Jordan was outstanding, both with the ball and in the field. This was the 8th international game at this venue and this is the 8th time that the team batting first has turned victorious.
England go 1-0 up and we’ve two more matches to play before both teams fly across to the Caribbean islands for the World Cup. Plenty of positives for England with the form of Jos Buttler, Will Jacks and the comeback from Jofra Archer. Pakistan too will be pleased at the form of some of their middle-order mainstays and the way Haris Rauf came back from his own injury. The 3rd T20I on the 28th in Cardiff as England will look to wrap up the series.