Middle order batsmen Harry Brook and Ben Duckett hit strong half-century debuts in England’s crushing win of 63 runs during the 3rd Twenty20 international match against Pakistan at Karachi in Karachi on the Friday.
Brook scored an unbeaten 35-ball 81 off 81 balls while Duckett hit an unbeaten 42-ball score to take England to a stunning 221-3 in their 20-over innings after they were put in to bat at the National stadium.
Shan Masood led Pakistan’s recovery with a score of 40-ball 65 that was not out, but the team came out just short of 158-8 in 20 overs . This gave England the lead of 2-1 during the series of seven matches.
The game was a defiant end for Pakistan’s big win of ten wickets in the second match on Thursday, which avenged their previous game loss by five wickets just two days before and both played in Karachi.
Speedy ball-striker Mark Wood — playing for the first time since the beginning of March this year after undergoing an elbow surgery was sacked Babar Azam (eight) and Haider Ali (three) while Mohammad Rizwan fell for eight and Iftikhar Ahmed scored six. This left the team at home reeling at 28-4.
Wood ended up with 3-24, and spinner Adil Rashid was able to take 2-32.
Masood as well as Khushdil Shah (29) added 62 to the fifth wicket , but the rate of play increased as England’s pace-cum spin attack continued to exert stress on.
Masood’s shot was a combination of three boundaries and four sixes.
Prior to that, England posted the highest score in T20Is against Pakistan by any T20Is team surpassing the score of 211-3 Sri Lanka made in Dubai in 2013.
A debutante Will Jacks set the platform for England by showcasing a stunning 20-ball 40 and eight boundaries, before Brook and Duckett made a run at bowlers from Pakistan bowlers.
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Brook hit the score with eight boundaries, five of which were sixes, while Duckett scored eight boundaries and a six while the duo added 139 runs in only 70 balls, the record for fourth wicket stands record for England across all the T20Is.
For Pakistan leg spinner Usman Qadir was the pick of bowlers, scoring 248 runs, while the pacer Shahnawaz Dahani went for 62 runs in four wicketless overs.
Dahani’s numbers are second-worst by an Pakistani bowler in the T20I and are just a hair short that of Usman Shinwari who conceded 63 in his four games against South Africa at Johannesburg in the year 2019.
England are currently on their first tour in Pakistan since 2005.
The remaining matches will be in Karachi (Sunday) along with Lahore (September 28 30, and October 2).
