Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Brief scores: England (168/8 in 19.1 ov) beat Pakistan (164/9 in 20 ov) by 2 wickets in Pallekele in a Super 8 match.
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Harry Brook produced one of the finest knocks of his brief captaincy tenure as England became the first team to qualify for the T20 World Cup semifinals. On Tuesday, February 24, Brook became the first-ever captain to score a century in the tournament’s history, guiding his side to a two-wicket victory over Pakistan in a crucial Super 8 clash at the Pallekele International Stadium.
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Salman Agha, meanwhile, became the first skipper to opt to bat first at Pallekele in the ongoing competition, but the decision proved costly as England chased down the 165-run target with five balls to spare. With five runs required off 12 deliveries, England briefly stuttered, but Jofra Archer held his nerve and struck the winning boundary off Salman Mirza to seal the contest and ensure England had the final say.
Pakistan now find themselves in deep trouble, heading into their final Super 8 fixture against Sri Lanka in a must-win situation. The victory also extended England’s unbeaten record against Pakistan in T20 World Cups to 4-0, underlining their dominance over their Asian rivals in global tournaments.
FARHAN CARRIES PAKISTAN AGAIN
After opting to bat first, Pakistan put up what looked like a par score of 164 for nine on the board. Saim Ayub’s poor run of form continued after Jofra Archer undid him with a sharp short ball that hurried him for pace.
Salman Agha tried to take the aggressive route early in his innings but ended up throwing his wicket away to Liam Dawson. While wickets kept falling at regular intervals in the powerplay, Sahibzada Farhan held firm at one end and played the role of stabiliser to steady the innings.
Farhan, fresh from his maiden T20I century against Namibia kept the boundaries flowing through the middle overs and brought up his half-century off 37 deliveries.
Babar Azam, who has been under criticism for his strike rate in recent times, began in positive fashion, striking Archer for back-to-back fours. However, he slowed down considerably as the innings progressed and crawled to 25 at a strike rate of 104.16 before Jamie Overton dismissed him.
Fakhar Zaman, batting for the first time in the competition, chipped in with a handy cameo of 25 off 16 balls. Just when he appeared ready to accelerate in the death overs, Adil Rashid accounted for his wicket.
Farhan, meanwhile, continued to anchor the innings with another knock of substance, finishing with 63 runs that included seven fours and two sixes. It was eventually Shadab Khan who provided the late flourish, smashing 23 off just 11 deliveries to push Pakistan past the 160-run mark.
Dawson emerged as the pick of England’s bowlers with impressive figures of 4-0-24-3, while Archer and Overton chipped in with two wickets apiece.
SHAHEEN STRIKES EARLY
Pakistan couldn’t have asked for a better start while defending 164, as Shaheen Shah Afridi wreaked havoc early on. Shaheen, who had been dropped for the clash against Namibia, returned to the playing XI in place of Faheem Ashraf and repaid his captain’s faith immediately.
With the very first ball of his spell, he dismissed Phil Salt with a delivery that seamed off the surface and caught the batter’s outside edge. Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan also praised Shaheen for hitting the deck hard and generating movement off the pitch rather than relying solely on his trademark inswinger.
In his second over, Shaheen struck again, removing Jos Buttler after inducing a false stroke from the former England skipper. During this phase, Jacob Bethell was handed a lifeline when Usman Tariq dropped him at short fine leg. However, Shaheen ensured the reprieve did not prove costly, eventually dismissing Bethell to give Tariq some much-needed relief.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
