KARACHI: Skipper Babar Azam and his charges were taught a lesson in cricket and professionalism when England defeated them by six wickets in the opening Twenty20 international of the seven-match series at National Stadium Karachi here on Tuesday evening. Chasing a modest target of 159, stand-in skipper Moeen Ali and his men overwhelmed the hosts with four balls to spare. Alex Hales (53 off 40) and Harry Brook (42 not out) made sure their team reach home comfortably. Hales made a half-century on his first England appearance in more than three years as the tourists began their series by completing not that difficult chase under the Karachi floodlights. Hales was the glue that held England’s chase together. Phil Salt was brilliantly held at deep square leg and Usman Qadir struck with his second ball to remove Dawid Malan (20); but Ben Duckett (21) swept and reverse-swept — with varying degrees of success — to keep the required rate in hand. Brook then produced perhaps the most fluent innings of the night, producing a number of eye-catching shots in his 25-ball innings, including the winning hit over extra cover.
Rizwan helps Pakistan reach respectable total of 158-7: Earlier, opener Mohammad Rizwan, while continuing his good batting form, helped Pakistan reach to a respectable total of 158 for the loss of seven scalps. He made attractive 46-ball 68. Rizwan, top run-getter in the Asia Cup earlier this month with 281, knocked six boundaries and two sixes and put on 85 for the first wicket with skipper Babar Azam (31) after England won the toss and put the hosts to bat first. Pakistan’s middle and lower order, once again, failed to fire.
Pakistan managed just 71 runs in the last ten overs, losing six wickets. Debutant Shan Masood failed with just seven runs while Haider Ali scored eleven. Iftikhar Ahmed’s three sixes in 28 from 17 provided only a flicker of the aggression needed on a placid batting surface.. England debutant paceman Luke Wood finished with 3-24, while spinner Adil Rashid took 2-27. Pakistan’s players wore a special kit in the first T20I, which showed their names and numbers submerged in water, to show solidarity with victims of the recent devastating floods. England’s players wore black armbands as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on September 8. The remaining matches of the series are in Karachi (September 22, 23 and 25) and in Lahore (September 28, 30 and October 2).