After a thumping defeat against England in the first game, Pakistan made an astonishing comeback in the 2nd T20I, courtesy of a Babar Azam 100 vs England. Now, the series hangs right in the balance, and both teams will contest in the 3rd game today.
But how did the match progress, and how Pakistan thrashed England by 10 wickets in Karachi? What were the talking points of the match?
Let’s get right into this blog to find all the answers.
Toss and Teams
The toss was once again won by Moeen Ali, who is leading England in the absence of the skipper Jos Butler. In contrast to the 1st T20, he decided to bat first this time.
Both the teams went with only 1 change from the previous game. England called Liam Dawson for Richard Gleeson. The thought behind that change was to utilise the spin-friendly conditions by playing 3 spinners. Whereas Pakistan rested Naseem Shah to play M. Hasnain.
England Innings
The English openers were off to a decent start, scoring 42 runs in the first 5 overs. But then, Dahani came in to remove Hales and Malan from consecutive deliveries in the last over of the powerplay. England ended the powerplay on 46 for 2.
Image Credits: theguardian.com
The spinners offered good control in the next 3 overs, and England could manage only 20 runs. Then, Ben Duckett took control by sweeping the spinners all around the on-side.
England crossed the 90-run mark in the 12th over as Rauf returned to rattle Salt’s stumps. In the next over, Nawaz cleaned up Duckett as he attempted another sweep shot. Consequently, England were reduced to 101 for 4 with 45 balls left in the innings.
In the next 26 balls, Brooks and Moeen added 59 runs. Brooks was dismissed, but Moeen kept going and England finished on 199 for 5.
Pakistan Innings
The target looked steep, considering the form of the Pakistani batting lineup. However, Rizwan clarified the intentions by scoring 2 boundaries in the first over.
Babar took a few deliveries to get going, but then he was in full flow. Pakistan closed the powerplay at 59 for 0 as Rizwan led the chase.
Adil Rashid came in to bowl the 7th over and started with 3 dots. Then, he was hit for 9 runs in the last 3 balls. Since then, Rizwan and Babar had started to score boundaries on will.
Image Credits: zeenews.india.com
The game was in the balance after 12 overs. But then Babar smashed 2 sixes off Moeen, and 21 runs came off that over.
Pakistan needed 40 off the last 4 overs, and their openers smashed 37 of those in the next 3 overs. Babar Azam 100 vs England and an astonishing win were completed with 10 wickets to spare.
The King is Roaring Again – Babar 100 vs England
They say that “the form is temporary, but the class is permanent. And Babar is CLASS in capital letters.
After going through a lean patch in the Asia Cup 2022, he was looking for a big score to get back in touch. The 1st Pakistan vs England t20 game also saw him struggling to score freely.
Just when critics were pointing fingers at him, he has put them to mud with a truly dominating knock. after Babar 100 vs England, he is now the only Pakistani batter to score 2 tons in T20 internationals. Also, he has got the most hundreds as Pakistan captain.
His knock of 110* came from just 66 deliveries at a blazing strike rate of 166.67. His match-winning innings included 11 elegant boundaries and 5 towering sixes.
His return to form is an ominous sign for the Pakistan Cricket Team ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022.
Wrap Up
Pakistan vs England 2022 t20 series entered a thrilling phase after Pakistan levelled the series in Karachi. Thanks to another Babar–Rizwan masterclass, Pakistan have crushed England in the 2nd T20I.
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Who do you think will win the 3rd encounter between the two sides? Feel free to answer in the comment section.
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