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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
James Wallace and Taha Hashim

Pakistan beat England by six runs in fifth men’s T20 – as it happened

The Pakistan players celebrate after winning the fifth T20 cricket match against England.
The Pakistan players celebrate after winning the fifth T20 cricket match against England. Photograph: KM Chaudary/AP

Pakistan lead the series 3-2

From 2-1 down to 3-2 up – Babar’s men have held their nerve in two tight finishes to lead the series with two still left to play. Andy Bull’s report is in so that’s all from me. See you back here on Friday!

Some words from Moeen: “We just got strangled in the middle a little bit with their spinners who I thought bowled quite well and we just couldn’t really get going. Obviously towards the backend Woakesy and myself put on a bit of a partnership and got close.”

On Mark Wood, who took 3-20: “On a real slow wicket he bowled fast. He’s taking wickets and he’s massive for our team. To bowl him at the right time is really important, he gets big wickets. Somebody with a bit of pace can make batters do silly things at times.”

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Not a batting display England will remember fondly; it was Moeen who kept them in it till the end after they’d been reduced to 85-6. Just some numbers on Mo – since the start of the summer he’s been striking his T20I runs at 42.28, with a strike rate of 173.09. And that’s all from four or below in the batting order. *Mark Nicholas voice*: That is very good.

It’s been a cracking series. And we’ve still got two matches to come!

Pakistan win by six runs!

Aamer Jamal – the debutant – in for the final over! And it’s a great start as he goes full to collect two dots; Moeen decided against the run off the second after hitting the ball to long-off. He’s going to do it all himself. Then the young quick goes too wide outside off, which means a repeat. Moeen gets a hold of the ball now, smashing the ball over long-on for six! That was there to be hit and Moeen obliged with a laaaavely swing of the bat. That’s fifty too for the skipper.

And then the wide yorker from Jamal, which Moeen can’t put away. Penultimate ball: another wide yorker! And Moeen can only squeeze it out for a single. Six needed to tie the scores but Willey can’t pull off something special. Quality stuff from the 26-year-old fast bowler: few would’ve heard of him before today; now he’s Pakistan’s hero.

Pakistan’s Aamer Jamal (right) and Mohammad Haris celebrate after winning the match.
Pakistan’s Aamer Jamal (right) and Mohammad Haris celebrate after winning the match. Photograph: KM Chaudary/AP
Pakistan's captain Babar Azam (left) shakes hands with his England counterpart Moeen Ali as England's David Willey looks on at the end of their fifth T20 international cricket match.
Pakistan's captain Babar Azam (left) shakes hands with his England counterpart Moeen Ali as England's David Willey looks on. Photograph: Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images

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WICKET! Woakes c Iftikhar b Rauf 10 (England 131-7)

Moeen with another six! Rauf goes short and the left-hander sends it over deep midwicket. He then smashes the ball through the off side to pick up two more, before collecting a leg-bye after missing a Rauf slower ball. Woakes then gets four! Mid-off is up and he goes over him. But Woakes goes from the final ball of the over, failing to get a proper hold of the slower ball as the ball travels to long-on, where the fielder runs in to hold on. 15 needed from the final over!

19th over: England 131-7 (Moeen 44, Willey 0)

18th over: England 118-6 (Moeen 36, Woakes 6) Sensational from Moeen as he makes room to pump a fuller ball down the ground for six. And then four more! This is brilliant from Moeen, who’s played this kind of shot before, memorably against South Africa a couple of years ago. It’s a low full toss he cuts away behind square on the off side, a slice of sorts. But then he’s hit on the pads! It looks a very good shout, but Pakistan don’t review. Probably got some bat on it, which replays prove. Wasim then pulls off a brilliant yorker that Chris Woakes can’t get any runs off. Another dot to finish as Woakes fails to connect from a ramp.

17th over: England 106-6 (Woakes 5, Moeen 25) Babar going in for the kill. Jamal is out after one excellent over as the Pakistan captain turns back to the more experienced Rauf. Moeen gets a good look at a short ball, swinging away for six behind square on the leg side. But it’s not The Big Over England need as Rauf bounces back to limit the damage in the set to nine.

16th over: England 97-6 (Woakes 3, Moeen 19) Wasim goes short with the cutter and Moeen seizes upon it to cut away for four. But that’s the only boundary of an otherwise quiet over. England need 49 from 24 balls.

15th over: England 88-6 (Moeen 13, Woakes 1) He had to wait his go as spin controlled the middle overs, but that is a first international over to remember for Aamer Jamal.

WICKET! Curran c Wasim b Jamal 17 (England 85-6)

Aamer Jamal is in on debut and has a wicket second ball! Curran shuffles to the leg side to have a big swing but can only smash it high into the air and into the hands of Wasim at cover.

14th over: England 83-5 (Curran 15, Moeen 11) Iftikhar with another solid over to finish a very solid spell. Four overs, 16 runs, 1 wicket.

13th over: England 77-5 (Moeen 8, Curran 12) Oh dear. Pakistan gift England with overthrows to the boundary. It was a run-out opportunity too. Sam Curran closes Shadab’s final over by rocking back and cutting a shorter ball for four.

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12th over: England 65-5 (Curran 2, Moeen 6) Sam Curran walks in – and he’s got a lot of work to do. England need 81 from 48 balls.

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WICKET! Malan lbw Iftikhar 36 (England 62-5)

Gone! Iftikhar continues and has Malan lbw, getting the ball to slide on and beat the bat before striking the front pad. England review but the ball’s clipping the stumps. The visitors are most certainly in trouble.

England's Dawid Malan (centre) trudges off the field after losing his wicket.
England's Dawid Malan (centre) trudges off the field after losing his wicket. Photograph: KM Chaudary/AP

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11th over: England 61-4 (Moeen 4, Malan 36) After a couple of dots Shadab tosses one up that Moeen slaps down the ground for a single. Malan gets himself off strike straightaway to bring back Moeen, who can’t get his bat on Shadab’s googly. Another googly follows, which Moeen bunts for a single. Shadab going at less than five, and giving that wrong ‘un a mean rip.

10th over: England 58-4 (Moeen 2, Malan 35) Pakistan’s tweakers doing a proper job here. Iftikhar races through, giving England’s batters little time to think. Just four singles from it and we’re halfway through the innings. England are going at under six an over.

WICKET! Brook lbw Shadab 4 (England 54-4)

Some luck for Malan from the first ball as he drives and catches an edge that runs away for four. The Pakistan leg-spinner is in control, though, and he’s all over Harry Brook with the final ball of the over. The ball goes straight on to strike the front pad, the finger doesn’t go up but Pakistan review… and it’s three reds!

9th over: England 54-4 (Malan 33, Moeen 0)

8th over: England 47-3 (Malan 27, Brook 3) It’s spin from both ends as Iftikhar Ahmed unfurls his offies. He’s rushing through his over, getting those precious, precious dots. After three on the bounce, Malan nabs a single. Just two off that set.

7th over: England 45-3 (Brook 2, Malan 26) Shadab’s pacy leggies into play and that’s a very tidy over as he concedes just three singles.

6th over: England 42-3 (Brook 0, Malan 25) Cheers, Jimbo! Haris Rauf gallops in, bowling tight lines for two dots before Malan pulls for a couple. Two balls later Malan clips beautifully for four and he closes the over with another boundary, carving the ball behind point to beat third man. Handy over for England.

WICKET! Duckett c Masood b Wasim 1o (England 31-3)

Duckett plinks a cut to Shan Massood and England lose another one! Pakistan well and truly have their dander up here. With that I’m going to shoot off and leave you in the fairy-soft and capable hands of Taha Hashim. Over to you Taha!

5th over: England 31-3 (Malan 14)

4th over: England 27-2 (Malan 14, Duckett 10) Ben Duckett is the new man at the crease with England wobbling. He notches up a couple of boundaries off Rauf, driving through the covers and then gliding past backward point for four more.

WICKET! Salt c Tiwari b Rauf 3 (England 19-2)

Rauf picks up Salt! Curse of another short ball, Salt steers it straight to the fielder at mid-wicket. Squeaky derrière time here for England.

Pakistan’s Haris Rauf (left) celebrates after taking the wicket of England’s Phil Salt (right).
Pakistan’s Haris Rauf (left) celebrates after taking the wicket of England’s Phil Salt (right). Photograph: KM Chaudary/AP

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3rd over: England 19-1 (Salt 2, Malan 13) Malan shows his touch again, punching through point for a boundary off Nawaz.

2nd over: England 13-1 (Salt 2, Malan 9) Mohammad Wasim and his whippy action into the attack. Malan stands up tall and punches elegantly through the covers off the back foot for four. Swiss-clock timing. Four more! A shorter delivery is steered down to third by Malan. Ten runs off the over in total.

WICKET! Hales c Shadab b Nawaz 1 (England 3-1)

Not an ideal start! Hales cloths a full ball in the air and is easily caught at backward point. Dawid Malan is the new batter. The crowd come alive and Pakistan believe. Of course they do.

England's Alex Hales walks back to the pavilion after his dismissal.
England's Alex Hales walks back to the pavilion after his dismissal. Photograph: Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images

1st over: England 3-1 (Salt 2, Malan 0)

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Hales and Salt head out to the wicket, Nawaz is going to start with some twirlers. He has shiny white ball in hand. Play!

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England need 146 to win!

They’ll fancy their chances of hauling that target down and taking a 3-2 lead in the series.

Rauf c Curran b Woakes 8 (Pakistan 145 all out)

Wasim bunts a Woakes slower ball down the ground for a welcome four. A back foot cut to the point boundary brings Rauf on strike. Woakes drags down and Rauf pounces on it, pulling away for a mighty six! Woakes chastises himself as he harrumphs back to his mark. Rauf tries again the very next ball, he slaps Woakes high and high and er, high and eventually the ball comes down in the hands of Sam Curran on the mid-wicket boundary. Woakes gets a returning wicket, finishing with 1-30.

WICKET! Rizwan c Rashid b Curran 63 (Pakistan 131-9)

There’s that old cricketing expression: “S*** bad balls get wickets” Curran serves up a full toss on leg stump and Rizwan slaps it straight to Rashid on the leg side boundary. Curran has the good grace to barely celebrate. A tame end to a fighting innings.

Haris Rauf is the last man for Pakistan, he gets off the mark with an uppish clip through midwicket.

18th over: Pakistan 134-9 (Wasim 1, Rauf 2)

17th over: Pakistan 129-8 (Rizwan 62, Wasim 0) Mark Wood into his final over. Rizwan launches him for six into the crowd, a Ponting-esque pull! The opener is still battling away, trying to eke his side to a challenging score. It’s a healthy over for the home side, 11 runs from it. Wood finishes his four overs with 3-20. Great effort.

WICKET! Jamal c Salt b Curran 10

Sam Curran snares Jamal with a slower ball bouncer! The batter gets in a mess and gloves a simple chance to Salt behind the stumps. Pakistan eight down. Rizwan still there…

16th over: Pakistan 118-8 (Rizwan 52, Wasim 0)

15th over: Pakistan 114-7 (Rizwan 50, Jamal 8) Woakes sends down his third over. Rizwan is still there and he brings up his fourth half century in five innings in this series. He’s some player. Off just 37 balls too.

Updated

WICKET! Shadab run out (Curran/Salt) 7 (Pakistan 106-7)

Another run out! Lazy running by Shadab who jogs the first and is left well short attempting a second run. In and amongst the flurry of wickets we’ve had a six and a four but Pakistan are hemorrhaging (try typing that in a hurry) wickets. It’s been the short ball and sorry running that has done for them in this innings.

14th over: Pakistan 106-7 (Rizwan 44, Jamal 6)

Updated

WICKET! Nawaz run out (Moeen Ali) 0 (Pakistan 88-6)

Disaster! Nawaz is dozily run out, ambling down looking for a single and sent back by Rizwan – Moeen swooping in and hitting the stumps. Pakistan lose another!

13th over: Pakistan 88-6 (Rizwan 38)

Nawaz is run out.
Nawaz is run out. Photograph: Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images

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WICKET! Asif Ali b Wood 5 (Pakistan 88-5)

Stumps splattered by Mark Wood! Ali digs out a yorker that scorches away for four but he’s done by the next ball. The batter backs away and is comprehensively beaten for pace by Wood. England on top. Rizwan can only look on from the non-strikers end.

12th over: Pakistan 83-4 (Rizwan 38, Asif Ali 1) Willey gets the wicket and is taken for just seven runs, not enough for Pakistan at this stage. Asif Ali joins Rizwan, the opener needs to do something special for his side here.

WICKET! Iftikhar c Malan b Willey 15 (Pakistan 81-4)

Hacked straight to backward point! Pakistan lose another to a short ball. Malan taking a sharp chance on the edge of the ring. Pakistan splutter once more.

11th over: Pakistan 76-3 (Rizwan 32, Iftikhar 15) SIX! Rizwan has a slurp of something and it does the trick, first ball after drinks he slams Rashid into the sightscreen for a big one. Just Pakistan’s fifth boundary of the evening so far. Ten off the over, Pakistan nudge up the scoring rate.

From Lahore to Leeds… meanwhile at Headingley:

Tanya is over on the county blog calling the final knockings of the season.

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10th over: Pakistan 66-3 (Rizwan 24, Iftikhar 13) Sam Curran sends down a tidy over and that’s drinks. England on top after the first ten.

9th over: Pakistan 59-3 (Rizwan 23, Iftikhar 7) Iftikhar drives handsomely to get a lesser spotted boundary for his side. Rashid is then flatter and skids the ball on under lights. Seven runs off the over.

Ed Matkin emails in and brings a chuckle:

“I had a summer job at a biscuit factory. Worked in the “crumb room”. We had to bag up crumbs to be recycled into new biscuits. About 20 seconds work every 3 minutes. The rest of the time we played cricket or raced around on pallet lifters which made excellent scooters.”

So many questions, Ed.

The Crumb Room is fantastic. Decent name for a band and also an accurate description of my increasingly Bourbon flecked lounge.

8th over: Pakistan 52-3 (Rizwan 21, Iftikhar 1) Three runs and a wicket off the over, Wood has 2-5 off his two overs so far. Priceless.

WICKET! Haider Ali c&b Wood 5 (Pakistan 52-3)

Wood strikes with another short one! Haider Ali can’t take the pace and spoons up a return catch.

Mark Wood takes the catch to dismiss Haider Ali.
Mark Wood takes the catch to dismiss Haider Ali. Photograph: Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Updated

7th over: Pakistan 49-2 (Rizwan 21, Haider Ali 4) Adil Rashid into the attack and he starts well, grip and loop and drift. Just six runs off the over as England put the squeeze on.

WICKET Masood ct Wood b Willey 9 (Pakistan 42-2)

Willey looks Charles Dagnall (‘daggers’) at Alex Hales who drops Rizwan at mid-off. A simple chance shelled. Hales has had margarine mitts in this field this series. Rizwan plonks the next ball for SIX too! A single brings Masood on strike and he falls in a soft fashion – a leading edge on a slower ball that loops to gully. England on top in the powerplay.

6th over: Pakistan 43-2 (Rizwan 19, Haider Ali 0)

Chris Woakes for Chancellor?

5th over: Pakistan 33-1 (Rizwan 7, Masood 9) Sam of the Currans into the attack with his skiddy left arm and peroxide barnet. He drops short twice and both Masood and Rizwan get away with top edges that fall just shy of the fielder. Masood connects with the last one though and pulls away powerfully for four. Only the second Pakistan boundary of the innings.

Tom Evershed emails in and he’s up for some biscuit-based chat:

“Delighted to hear you’ve breached the bourbons. Often underestimated, they are such a fine biscuit. Not all bourbons are the same, of course. I fondly recall the magnificent Happy Shopper bourbons; and back in the late 1980s I’d scoff a packet of FineFare bourbon creams every day. It set me up for life.”

I had some custard cremes yesterday too. And don’t get me started on fruit shortcakes Tom…

4th over: Pakistan 22-1 (Rizwan 7, Masood 2) So Wood gets Babar for the second time in the series. His pace is such an asset for England and it’s great to see him back and bowling with that cheshire cat smile on his face. Woakes back into the attack and he’s back to his miserly best. A mix up! Rizwan is stranded mid-pitch, the throw from the fielder would have seen him miles out if it had hit the stumps… instead it clonks right into Rizwan’s lower back as he struggles for his ground. Ouch. The ‘magic spray’ is called for. I love the smell of Deep Heat in the morning evening.

WICKET! Babar c Duckett b Wood 9 (Pakistan 17-1)

Wood slams the ball down into the middle of the pitch, hurrying the batters with his pace. Just the one boundary so far for Pakistan… and Wood gets the breakthrough! Another short ball and Babar gets a top edge off an attempted pull that is swallowed easily by Duckett on the square-leg boundary. First blood to Wood and England.

3rd over: Pakistan 17-1 (Rizwan 3, Masood 0)

Mark Wood celebrates after taking the wicket of Babar Azam.
Mark Wood celebrates after taking the wicket of Babar Azam. Photograph: KM Chaudary/AP

Updated

2nd over: Pakistan 13-0 (Babar 7, Rizwan 3) David Willey searches for some southpaw swing from the other end but there doesn’t seem to be much doing. He also struggles with his radar, spearing down a couple of big leg side wides. Babar and Rizwan happy to accumulate. Ooh look – Mark Wood is coming on. Hold on to your stovepipe.

1st over: Pakistan 7-0 (Babar 6, Rizwan 1) Woakes starts with a leg-side half volley to Rizwan who flicks for a single. Babar pulls a short ball for a couple but then unfurls a lovely on drive off a full ball to score the first boundary of the innings. Woakes a bit rusty, searching for swing but little to be found on first evidence.

I’ve breached a packet of bourbon biscuits and am settling in for another run-fest, short boundaries and the pitch looks a belter despite the rain of yesterday.

The players are heading out onto the field. There are lots of flying critters by the looks of it, winged things showing up under beam of the floodlights. CHRIS WOAKES is going to open the bowling – it’s been a while since we’ve been able to type that on the OBO. He’s got a slip in place. The stadium is packed and the atmosphere is crackling. Let’s play!

Updated

Borrower sized boundaries spotted in Lahore:

TEAMS:

FOUR changes for England: Dawid Malan, Sam of the Currans, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood are in for England.

Three changes for Pakistan, Shadab in for Qadir, and Jamal for Hasnain.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Haider Ali, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Aamer Jamal, Mohammad Wasim, Haris Rauf

England: Phil Salt, Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali (c), Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

England win the toss and will have a bowl

Moeen Ali calls correctly and inserts Pakistan. The outfield was underwater yesterday apparently, with groundsman hand-forking the turf to assist the drainage. The pitch looks good now though, but what do I know sat here 5412.766 miles away. I don’t even have my car keys in my hand either. BUT It might not be a run plundering match like the last few. Famous last words…

Preamble

Hello and welcome to the OBO of the fifth of seven T20Is between Pakistan and England from the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore (by way of a sofa in south London).

There’s always a danger that bilateral white ball series wind up to be almost instantly forgettable, lost to the relentless runaway train of global cricket, another notch on the games already heavily carved bedpost. But, this series hasn’t felt like that. The sense of history has no doubt helped but so has the actual cricket on the field.

The two sides are evenly matched and locked at two wins apiece with three games left to play. We’ve had blistering batting, bamboozling spin, searing pace, close finishes and plenty of other narratives running alongside. The longer series has allowed for these to play out and add to the intrigue.

As Autumn starts to bite here in the UK, a season of mist, mellow fruitfulness and the tanking pound upon us, it’s nice to hunker down and have cricket as distraction and comfort. There’s a warmth to it, which is just as well as the heating isn’t going on in our flat until November is breached (“Put a jumper on… another one!“)

Last night I curled up with The Unquiet Ones - Osman Samiuddin’s excellent book on the history of Pakistan cricket. A chapter entitled ‘The Fields of Lahore’ is beautifully evocative on Minto Park (now Greater Iqbal Park) the cradle of cricket on the north western fringe of the city that lies about 30 minutes away from the Gadaffi stadium.

“There are few more symbolic pieces of real estate in Pakistan… little about the park now suggests such momentousness. It doesn’t look epic or symbolic. The grass is green but not lush, and the mix of petrol fumes and cow manure is sharp. The pitches are mostly cement. Randomly dotted around the park on any day are a stream of informal games criss-crossing each other, where once were played matches that people still remember today. Even then, one game’s slip was always another game’s deep square leg.”

To Pakistan’s second city then for this fifth game. Play is due to begin at 3.30pm BST, I’ll be back with news of the teams and the toss very shortly.

As ever it would be lovely to hear from you, you can get in touch by Email or tweeting @Jimbo_Cricket.

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