Lahore: Despite England captain Moeen Ali’s unbeaten half-century, Pakistan (England vs Pakistan T20 Series) registered a thrilling six-run victory by defending their low score well in the fifth T20 International cricket match. England had a target of 146 runs and needed 15 runs in the last over.
Moeen Ali, playing his first T20 International, hit a six on fast bowler Amir Jamal to complete his half-century but he could take his team’s score to 139 runs for seven wickets.
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England bowled out Pakistan for 145 in 19 overs, the lowest score ever in the series, thanks to a brilliant performance by bowlers led by pacer Mark Wood (3 for 20). Apart from Wood, David Willey and Sam Karen took two wickets each. Only three Pakistan batsmen reached double digits, with opener Mohammad Rizwan scoring 63 off 46 balls.
England did not have a big target but spinners Iftikhar Ahmed (1 for 16) and Shadab Khan (1 for 25) kept the runs in check in the middle overs, which increased the run rate. Due to this, Moeen’s unbeaten 51 runs off 37 balls also did not work for England. David Malan scored 36 runs in 35 balls. Pakistan has thus taken a 3-2 lead in the seven-match series.(Agency)