England have sealed a series win over Pakistan thanks to Dawid Malan's excellent unbeaten 78, brilliant cameos from Ben Duckett and Harry Brook and some stunning new ball bowling from Chris Woakes and Reece Topley.
Having been asked to bat first by Pakistan, openers Phil Salt and Alex Hales initially got England off to a great start as they struck 39 runs from the first four overs. However, they both fell in quick succession, with Hales getting pinned lbw by Mohammad Hasnain for 18 and Salt getting run out by Shadab Khan for 20 after a farcical mix-up with Malan.
Despite the error, Malan proceeded to play his best innings of the series as England posted an imposing total of 209-3. He scored an excellent 78 off just 47 balls, which included 11 boundaries.
Malan put on 62 runs with the impressive Ben Duckett, who scored 30 off 19 before being run out by some lightning quick glove work from wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, before sharing a brilliant unbeaten partnership worth 108 with Brook as the pair closing out the innings in stunning fashion.
Brook played a blistering innings, scoring 46 not out off 29 balls as he broke Malan's record for the most runs by an Englishman in a bilateral T20I series. And with Pakistan needing to complete their highest-ever T20I chase in order to win the match and the series, their innings got off to an absolute horror start when they lost both Babar Azam and Rizwan inside the first eight balls.
Babar fell to Chris Woakes for just four when he poked a simple catch to Brook at short cover, before Rizwan perished two balls later when he was bowled by a stunning inswinger from Reece Topley.
Pakistan have relied heavily on their blockbuster opening partnership in T20Is and, despite a half-century from Shan Masood, their middle order once again failed to really fire as they fell to a disappointing 67 run defeat.
Here are five talking points...
Still no Buttler
England decided not to risk captain Jos Buttler for this winner-takes-all game, with the 32-year-old taking a "cautious approach" to his return from a calf injury ahead of the T20 World Cup. Buttler is expected to feature in England's final warm-up games against Australia and believes he has learned a lot by simply watching his side from the sidelines.
"It would be nice to play but with the World Cup round the corner, we are taking a cautious approach," he told Sky Sports. "It is quite a unique situation to be here and not play, to observe. I am learning lots listening to the group and watching the way they go about things, watching without as much emotion as when you are involved and thinking about what you will do at certain times."
And with Buttler missing, Salt and Hales have been given plenty of opportunities to impress as they compete for the opportunity to open with their skipper at the World Cup. Hales is regarded as the frontrunner given his experience, reputation and record in Australia, but Salt struck a career-best 88 off 41 balls and could take the gloves if Buttler wants to focus on his captaincy.
In this game, they once again got England off to a flier, sharing a quick-fire 39 run opening partnership. However, they were both out within the space of three deliveries, with Hasnain dismissing Hales lbw and Salt getting run out by Shadab.
Two England run-outs
Salt was run out in calamitous fashion by Shadab, having been hung out to dry by Malan, while Duckett was run out thanks to some stunning glove work from Rizwan. Salt was the first to go, with his promising innings brought to an end prematurely after a terrible mix-up with Malan.
After Malan was hit on the pads and Salt called for a quick single to short fine leg, Malan took a few steps down the pitch before deciding against the run after realising where the ball was. However, by that point Salt had almost run the length of the pitch and Shadab produced an excellent direct hit to send him packing.
Salt immediately threw his arms up in frustration at Malan for ball watching, while Pakistan's players ran off in celebration. Duckett also fell in frustrating fashion after once again batting brilliantly, having edged the ball into the pitch before it was gathered by Rizwan.
He ended up wandering out of his crease, allowing Rizwan to quickly remove the bails one-handed with Duckett technically run out as the ball was gathered in front of the stumps meaning it does not go down as a stumping.
Malan finds form at the perfect time
Having entered this series off the back of a brilliant season in The Hundred, where he struck 377 runs at an average of 53.85 and a strike rate of 166.81 as Trent Rockets won the tournament, Malan struggled in his first five innings against Pakistan.
The 35-year-old managed just 96 runs at a particularly low strike rate of 114.28. However, Malan is a batter who hugely benefits from time in the nets, something he has been denied this series due to security and logistical issues and poor weather.
He was able to have a long nets session ahead of the previous game and looked more fluent as he struck 26 off 18, before truly finding form in this match ahead of the World Cup. Malan blasted a magnificent 78 not out from just 47 deliveries, sharing excellent partnerships with Duckett and Brook.
Brook breaks records
It has been an excellent series for the 23-year-old, who has surely nailed down a place in the starting XI at the World Cup. Brook ends the series as England's leading run scorer with 238 at an average of 79.33 and a strike rate of 163.01.
He also broke Malan's record for the most runs scored by an Englishman in a bilateral T20I series, surpassing the 108 he scored against New Zealand in 2019. And his form means England have a real dilemma on their hands, with both Ben Stokes and Liam Livingstone set to return for the World Cup.
Former England wicketkeeper James Foster, who has been working with the Test team as a coach, lauded the Yorkshire star on BBC Test Match Special, saying: "What a talent Brook is. He's looked world-class."
Woakes and Topley star with the new ball
Pakistan have already shown themselves capable of chasing down massive totals in this series, with Babar and Rizwan blasting them to a ten-wicket win in the second T20I after England posted 199-5.
However, this time around England were able to dismiss the two heavy hitters early, with Woakes and Topley impressing with the new ball. Woakes removed Babar for four, before Topley produced a ball that was described as "unplayable" on commentary to bowl Rizwan for one.
It is the first time the pair have opened the bowling together in T20Is and they may well take the new ball for England at the World Cup, with Woakes a powerplay specialist and Topley adept both up front and at the death.
