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Cricket

England crushes Pakistan by 67 runs to clinch T20I series 4-3

England completed its first visit to Pakistan in 17 years with a 67-run victory in the Twenty20 decider on Sunday, completing the thrilling seven-match series 4-3.

England heaped on the runs after being chosen to bat first in Lahore, with Malan making Pakistan rue for dropping him on 29 and 62 as he pushed the visitors to 209-3. Malan blasted eight fours and three sixes, while Brook hammered four sixes and a boundary as Wasim allowed 20 in the final over, lifting England to their second-highest total of the series.

eng winsHarry Brook’s excellent form continued as he scored 46 not out from 29 balls after being dropped on 24 in an unbroken 108-run partnership with Malan. Babar Azam lost two catches and could not make amends with the bat, falling to Chris Woakes in the opening over of the pursuit.

Two balls later, Reece Topley bowled Mohammad Rizwan, and with their two in-form openers out early, Pakistan were unable to rebound and crawled to 142-8. Woakes got 3-26, while David Willey added 2-22 and his 50th T20 international wicket.

Pakistan, which won the toss and elected to field, was essentially out of the chase when the normally productive opening pair of skipper Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were dismissed in the first two overs. Pakistan’s middle order has battled throughout the series and couldn’t handle the strain when Babar and Rizwan were both bowled early. Pakistan’s final score was 142-8.

No. 3 Shan Masood batted alone for 56 runs off 43 balls against disciplined England pacers Woakes (3-26), David Willey (2-22), Sam Curran (1-27), and Topley (1-34).

Dawid Malan, Player of the Match said: “We regarded this as a final, so doing it under pressure and scoring large was amazing. We believed it was coming on beautifully for the first 12-14 overs, then it slowed down. Fortunately, our bowlers learnt from their mistakes with the ball, bowling into the wicket and changing speeds. They bowled quite well. We’re taking breaks here and there, and we’re looking forward to arriving to Australia and relaxing for a few days. But it’s been a pleasure to be here; thank you for having us.”

Moeen Ali, England captain said: “Today’s game was fantastic; we played very well from the outset. The hitters scored well, and I felt our bowling was excellent in rainy circumstances. Everyone else gains confidence from the top order. The strike rates at which they bat are quite crucial. After we dropped a few, the lads went out and played the way they wanted. We had two must-win games, and to come back and win them is encouraging. We’re in an excellent spot, which demonstrates our depth. I just wanted to thank everyone and the PCB for looking after us.”

England will now go to Australia for a three-match T20 series before beginning their T20 World Cup quest on October 22 against Afghanistan. Additionally, Pakistan will visit New Zealand for a T20 tri-series alongside Bangladesh.

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