LAHORE – England beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the sixth match of the T20I series at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Friday night.
The seventh and the last match of this T20I series will be played in Lahore on Sunday. England’s win today has levelled the series 3-3.
Chasing the 170-run target set by Pakistan, English batsmen reached the milestone in 14.3 overs at the loss of just two wickets.
Earlier, Babar Azam played a captain’s innings as he helped Pakistan set a strong total of 170 runs for England. Azam smashed unbeaten 87 runs while Iftikahr Ahmad made 31 runs.
Men in Green look to seal historic series as they lead it with 3-2 after their nail-biting win in the fifth T20I.
Moeen Ali-led England earlier played well in previous matches but they will need to win today to keep their hopes in the series alive.
In the fifth game of the series, Babar XI bagged a clinical victory of five runs against England while chasing a target of 146 runs. The visiting team was restricted to 140 as the Pakistani bowling lineup showed stunning skills. Dawid Malan (36) and Moeen Ali (52) remained top scorer from England.
Pakistan’s innings were a one-man show as Mohammad Rizwan kept the scoreboard ticking up by smashing 63 runs off 46 balls while no other player could stand for long in front of English bowlers.
Both squads arrived in the country’s cultural capital earlier after four T20Is in port city Karachi. All preparations were completed at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and the people of Lahore are eagerly waiting to watch the action, as England returned to the country after a 17-years hiatus.
The hosts are said to have a more dominant bowling line than the visitors but their batters, especially the middle order, leave a bit too much to be desired. Pakistani pacer Naseem Shah has been ruled out from the fifth T20I against England due to a chest infection, Pakistan Cricket Board said Wednesday.
Several Pakistani players are currently battling with injuries while key pacer Naseem Shah was ruled out of the series after contracting Covid.
The condition of guests is not more different than the hosts as their captain, Jos Buttler, could not play in the first five matches of the series.
PAKvENG: Pakistan beat England in yet another nail-biting thriller
Squads
Pakistan: Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Amir Jamal, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Harris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Harris, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani , Shan Masood and Usman Qadiri.
England: Moeen Ali, Alex Hales, Harry Brooke, Ben Duckett, David Malan, Will Jaques, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Luke Wood, Jordan Cox, Phillip Salt, Richard Gleason, Tom Helm, Adil Rashid, Ollie Stone, Reece Topley and Mark Wood.
Naseem Shah ruled out of England home series after contracting Covid-19
