In the second contest of the four-match T20I series between Pakistan and England in Birmingham, despite Fakhar Zaman’s brisk 45 off 21 balls supported by Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed with 32 and 23 runs respectively, England clinched victory by 23 runs.
Pakistan, chasing a target of 184 runs, faced immediate pressure when spinner Moeen Ali dismissed the in-form Muhammad Rizwan for a duck in the first over. Saim Ayub, replacing Rizwan, also fell quickly, managing just 2 runs.
Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman stabilized the innings for a while, adding 53 runs together, but Babar’s departure, adjudged LBW to Moeen Ali, halted their momentum. Shadab Khan fell soon after, followed by Azam Khan, who contributed only 11 runs before his dismissal by Archer. Iftikhar Ahmed then joined Fakhar Zaman, but their partnership was short-lived.
Fakhar Zaman’s aggressive innings of 45 runs off 21 balls came to an end, leaving Pakistan at 99 for 6 in 12.2 overs. Despite efforts from Iftikhar and Imad Wasim to accelerate the scoring, their dismissals in quick succession dashed Pakistan’s hopes. Eventually, Pakistan was all out for 160 in 19.2 overs, falling short of the target.
England’s bowlers, led by Topley with 3 wickets, supported by Moeen Ali and Archer with 2 wickets each, along with contributions from Chris Jordan, Adil Rasheed, and Liam Livingstone, kept the pressure on Pakistan throughout the innings.
In the first innings, after winning the toss, Babar Azam opted to field. England’s openers, Jos Buttler and Phil Salt, got off to a strong start, reaching 25 runs in the first 3 overs. However, Imad Wasim’s bowling change proved effective as he dismissed Salt on the first ball of the fourth over.
Will Jacks joined Buttler, adding 71 runs together before Jacks was dismissed for 37 by Haris Rauf. Despite quick contributions from Jonny Bairstow, England struggled to maintain partnerships as Pakistani bowlers took regular wickets. Buttler, however, anchored the innings, scoring 85 runs off 51 balls, guiding England to a total of 183 for 7 wickets in their 20 overs.
Shaheen Afridi was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker with figures of 3 for 40, while Muhammad Amir and Imad Wasim took 2 wickets each, contributing to restricting England’s total.
