Andy Bull's match report
I’m outta here. What a game of cricket. A few of us on these pages have wondered if we’ll be able to distinguish one T20 from the next. I tell you what. If you watched that you won’t forget it in a hurry.
Another Rizwan masterclass worth 88 dragged Pakistan to something they might defend. But 164 never looked like it would be enough.
That is until Nawaz and Hasnain snared England’s top three with just 14 on the board. Duckett and Brook again impressed but fell for 33 and 34 respectively. Ali tonked a few sixes before he was bowled for 29.
The game looked over when Brook was caught at fine leg but Dawson bludgeoned 24 off a Hasnain over and looked to have turned the game. Rauf bowled the penultimate over and had Dawson caught at midwicket. He then bowled Stone for a golden duck and almost had a hat-trick.
That left Rashid and Topley with too much to do and a run-out at the non-striker’s end (a more conventional one, mind) sealed the 3 run win and squared the seven game series at 2-2.
Andy Bull’s report should be on it’s way soon but I’ll sign off now. Thanks for keeping me company and for the parsnip recipes. Til next time, D.
Olly Stone, who made his T20 debut, is speaking to Sky.
It’s his first taste of cricket in Pakistan and naturally he’s gushing. Wouldn’t you have loved to be there as well? What a game!
I loved being out there. It makes all the hard work worthwhile.
It obviously didn’t go to plan [that’s in reference to getting bowled first ball to Rauf with the game on the line]
I felt like it went well [that’s with the ball]. All the hard work I put in makes it all worthwhile. When I came off the lads said that I hit [90moh]. Which is great.
Babar Azam looks relieved. He’s speaking in Urdu as well but I did catch a bit of English “A few runs short”. I thought that at the time. Those two Asif Ali sixes in Pakistan’s last over proved to be the difference after all.
Moeen Ali is up next and he starts with an understatement:
An amazing game of cricket. It went both ways. It kept swinging.
I feel that we should have chased that down. We kept losing wickets but hung in there. Brook again played well and Daws [Liam Dawson], the way he batted tonight was outstanding. I’m sad he couldnt get us over the line. But these things happen.
With nine runs and three wickets we felt we should have won the game. Both teams bowled well and they managed to get over the line.
Haris Rauf is player of the match. His post match chat is in Urdu which, unfortunately, I don’t understand. But he spoke a universal language with the ball, claiming 3-32 including two crucial wickets in the penultimate over which turned the game after Dawson’s heroics.
“Hi Daniel”
Hi Colum Fordham. Have you caught your breath yet?
“I seem to recall a recent quip by Gary Naylor saying T20s are like London buses – they all look alike bar the numbers, Today’s match confirms that these matches can be fascinating topsy turvy nailbiters with more twists and turns than a coastal road in Cornwall. What a match this has been. And I speak as a Test match fan.”
To be fair to Gary, he’s mostly right. But then they go and put on a show like that. If you love cricket you’ll love what just happened. If only they could all be like that.
Sorry. I thought Rashid was on strike. It was madness keeping pace with all of that. Absolutely bonkers end to that game. I’m going to touch my toes and do a downward dog and gather myself.
Pakistan were cruising and then Liam Dawson, a forgotten man of English cricket, clattered 24 from an over to drag his team to the edge of victory. But Haris Rauf snared two wickets in two balls to leave Adil Rashid and Reece Topley needing 4 from an over. They couldn’t get there. A run-out to win the match and square the series. I’ll be back with the post match chat as soon as.
You said it
🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
— Matt Roller (@mroller98) September 25, 2022
Scenes…
This is an outrageous game of cricket 😬
— England's Barmy Army (@TheBarmyArmy) September 25, 2022
Pakistan win by 3 wickets!
What a game of cricket. A run-out at the non-striker’s end but no controversy with this one. With four runs needed Topley knew he’d have to steal one somewhere. After dabbing it he ran immediately but couldn’t make his ground. A direct hit has him well short and Pakistan square the series.
England bowled out for 163. Fantastic theatre.
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19th over: England 163-9 (Rashid 3, Topley 0) Rauf, take a bow. The over started with a dot but was then spanked by Dawson for a four in front of square. What was Rauf going to do? Well, he nabbed Dawson with through a catch on the leg side and then bowled Stone first ball. He almost had a hat-trick but the yorker hit Topley on the toe with the ball going down leg. They scampered for a leg-bye. Crazy penultimate over.
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WICKET! Stone b Rauf 0 (England 162-8)
Two in two! Rauf has a golden arm. Top of off for Rauf and Stone has to go! Pakistan doing Pakistan things!
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WICKET! Dawson c sub (Haris) b Rauf 34 (England 162-8)
OH WOW!!! Dawson started the over with a dot ball and a boundary but then dinks one towards midwicket and has to go. What a topsy turvy game. Brilliant advert for the game. Have Pakistan taken back control?
18th over: England 158-7 (Dawson 30, Rashid 3) 6-5nb-4-4-4-0-1. 24 off the over. Liam Dawson has taken turned the game on its head. Wonderful batting coupled with poor bowling from Hasnain. The first ball is sent sailing over long-off. The second is dabbed to the deep third boundary and is a no ball. The third is heaved for four towards cow corner. Another four follows to deep third off a slower ball. He then whips another one behind square on the leg side. He steals the strike from the ball. What a performance!
Dawson takes 19 from three balls!
Six, four off a no-ball, and two more fours! Liam Dawson has changed the face of the game. His hammering Hasnain. They now need 14 off 15 balls. Unbelievable!
17th over: England 134-7 (Dawson 7, Rashid 1) Willey had the right idea. he recognised that he wasn’t going to tonk Rauf down the ground so went for the scoop. Twice in fact, and bagged boundaries behind square off the first two balls of the over. Rauf responded as he should. Full, straight and BANG! The middle stump is pegged back. Adil Rashid takes three from his first two balls. England need 33 off 18.
WICKET! Willey b Rauf 11 (England 130-7)
You miss, I hit. That’s the mantra from Harris Rauf who responds to being hit for back to back boundaries byt bowling a quick yorker that evades a backtracking Willey and knocks back the middle stump.
16th over: England 122-6 (Willey 3, Dawson 6) Brilliant bowling from Hasnain. He can seemingly hit a yorker at will. It’s so hard for the batter to free his arms and generate enough power to find a boundary. Dawsone starts the over with back to back twos but a leg-bye and a single to Willey, dug out from another searing yorker, is all they have from that set.
Someone backs Liam here.
Great opportunity for Dawson
— Azeem Rafiq (@AzeemRafiq30) September 25, 2022
Very under rated #ENGvPAK
15th over: England 116-6 (Willey 2, Dawson 2) They’re both classed as all-rounders but this is surely a step too far for Willey and Dawson. Brook started the over with a boundary. His fast hands whipping a pull shot towards the leg side. He couldn’t replicate the result two balls later and picked out fine leg. Three singles from four balls after that. Pakistan in the driver’s seat thanks to that wicket from Wasim.
He makes my team. No doubt.
I know he’s just got out, but Harry Brook is surely a starter now in England’s World Cup XI. Duckett having a good crack too.
— Lawrence Booth (@the_topspin) September 25, 2022
WICKET! Brook c Hasnain b Wasim 34 (England 113-6)
And that could be that. Harry Brook gets down to lift Wasim up and over the leg side. He steers it a lot finer than he intended, possibly a result of the extra pace off the surface. Hasnain at fine leg doesn’t have to move and holds on to a sharp catch above his head. A tasty knock comes to an end and with it England’s best hopes of winning this game.
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14th over: England 108-5 (Brook 30, Willey 1) This is a tough ask for the new man David Willey. He’s batted just four times in his last 11 matches for England. Now he’s got a tricky chase. This Nawaz over goes for a measly three runs. His job is done. Figures of 3-35 for the beguiling tweaker.
WICKET Alo b Nawaz 29 (England 106-5)
Moeen Ali has been bowled! It’s a third scalp of Mohammad Nawaz and that’s another critical moment in this see-sawing game. Beaten the flight, the advancing Ali has to rush his slog towards a wide mid-on but catches nothing but air as the ball crashes into his stumps. That’s brave bowling from Nawaz who was whacked for two sixes the last time he turned his arm over.
13th over: England 105-4 (Brook 28, Ali 29) Gorgeous from Moeen. He times the ball so well. Does anyone in world cricket hit it as hard without looking like they’re hitting it hard? This latest in the catalogue is from a lofted cover drive that hurtles to the fence and brings up three figures for his team. Five singles from the five other balls. England starting to close down that required rate, which is hovering around 8.8. 62 needed from 42.
Iftikhar Ahmed closes with 0-23. He bowled well without reward.
12th over: England 96-4 (Brook 25, Ali 23) I’m not surprised to see Nawaz yanked out of the attack. On comes Rauf who finds a full length for the first five balls, conceding a relatively miserly five runs with four singles and a two down to deep square. He strays in line and length from the final ball and Ali whips it behind square for a two-bounce four.
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“In Brook, are we witnessing the emergence of the complete player prospering from playing with Root?”
I wouldn’t use that sort of language just yet, Mike Galvin, but he’s tracking well.
Ah, you know what… let’s get hyperbolic. That’s what sports banter is for, right? He’s a genius in the making. I really could watch him bat all day.
11th over: England 87-4 (Brook 23, Ali 16) Another good over from Iftikhar. This one’s worth just five runs. Tight lines, variation in the flight. Just five singles.
England need 85 from 60 balls. Pakistan had the same amount of runs as England at this stage but they hadn’t lost a wicket yet. Not that wickets ever bother England. They treat them a toddler treats a spoonful of broccoli. (I don’t want to know if your toddler likes broccoli. Mine can’t stand it so the analogy holds).
Anyway, game on here. Brook is the key wicket.
10th over: 82-4 (Brook 20, Ali 14) My goodness. What a shot that is. Never mind the shot of the night, that is honestly one of the best shots I’ve seen this summer. Harry Brook has skipped down the track to Nawaz and deposited him for a monstrous six over cover with an inside out drive. Just delicious.
That’s injected some adrenalin in England’s chase. Moeen gets on strike and firmly sweeps a four and then clobbers a gigantic six down the ground. How does he time it so well?
So much for my theory on bowling the spinners out. These two have sized Nawaz up and rinsed him.
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9th over: England 63-4 (Brook 12, Ali 3) Pakistan are tightening the screws. If I was captaining I’d bowl these two spinners right the way through. Four runs from Iftikhar. Sumptuous flight and grip. The batters have no choice but to show it respect.
8th over: England 58-4 (Brook 10, Ali 1) Brilliant over from Naawz. He changed his pace throughout and kept the batter guessing. The massive wicket of Duckett is his reward but he also kept the new man, Moeen Ali, quiet with some lovely flight. A wide will annoy him but it’s just four runs from the set. At this stage Pakistan were 71-0.
Wicket! Duckett lbw Nawaz 33 (England 57 -4)
Plumb. That is hitting halfway up middle stump. Mohammad Nawaz is back in the attack and he gets Duckett with his second ball. It’s a flighted delivery around a fifth stump line and Duckett moves across his sticks to sweep it fine on the leg side. The ball turns and bounces and misses the bat. That’s out and a big moment in the game.
Duckett is given out lbw but reviews
This’ll be close. I think Nawaz has him on the sweep. Possibly going down leg but I don’t think so.
7th over: England 55-3 (Duckett 31, Brook 10) Oh that was close. Brook looks to paddle ramp (I’m making up terms now) the final ball over the ‘keeper. The ball misses the pad and the stumps my millimetres. A good start, though, for Iftikhar Ahmed. His skiddy off breaks go for just five from that over. This will be the battle. If England’s batters can get on top of Pakistan’s spinners they win. Ditto for the reverse.
6th over: England 50-3 (Duckett 27, Brook 9) Catches win matches. We all learn that from the moment we can hold a bat or ball. Nawaz will hope his drop from the first ball of this Rauf over, a dolly at cover, won’t cost his team victory. The man he shelled shellacked 88 on Friday and closed the over with a gorgeous inside out cover drive that skips to the boundary.
Brook dropped on 4!
Mohammad Nawaz has just put down a sitter. A regulation catch at cover. How has he out that down? He went for the reverse cup and shelled it. He could have trapped that on his chest if he wanted. Shocker. He was on the move, shifting to his right. But no excuse. Haris Rauf, into the attack, looks ill.
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5th over: England 42-3 (Duckett 25, Brook 3) Three consecutive boundaries for Duckett to end this over. He’s playing a little peach of a knock right now. First a pick up over midwicket. Then a bunt down the ground. Then another past the bowler. I don’t think he timed a single one but that doesn’t matter when you can muscle it to the fence.
4th over: England 27-3 (Duckett 12, Brook 2) What a shot to end the over. It had been a superb over from Hasnain going for just two from the first five balls thanks to well placed yorkers and ripping short ones. But Duckett makes room for himself and squeezes a late cut that bisects two close fielders and races to the boundary. Wonderful. Duckett won’t go to the World Cup in Australia but he’s such a talent.
“Am I missing something from Nigel Slater’s legendary roast potato recipe ? Peel and par-boil spuds then roast them in hot fat.
Isn’t that how they’ve always been cooked ? Starving now ...”
Well, Showbizguru, if it ain’t broke….
3rd over: England 21-3 (Duckett 7, Brook 1) These two batters put on an unbeaten stand of 139 on Friday and they’ll to replicate that tonight. Duckett starts the Wasim over with a slash past backward point for four. Four singles then dribble out across the set. Which is fine. That gives me a moment to breathe.
Get a load of this grab..
"Look at THAT for a catch!" 😍
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) September 25, 2022
Hales is gone after a brilliant diving catch from Usman! 👏🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/CNZzSUWtL9
2nd over: England 14-3 (Duckett 1, Brook 0) I’m struggling to keep up. It’s madness out there. Two wickets in this over has turned the contest on it’s head and we’re only two overs in. Hales started the over with a commanding pull shot for four but was then well caught, and I do mean well caught, by a full stretch dive at midwicket. Then Hasnain is rewarded for pitching the ball up and Jacks pays the price for swiping at it from the back foot.
WICKET! Jacks b Hasnain 0 (England 14-3)
Pakistan are doing to England what England did to Pakistan on Friday. Hasnain has snared another wicket, beating Will Jacks for pace and kisses the bails. It was far to full to be playing a cross-bat shot of that nature and it skims off the surface and whooshes past the swinging blade.
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WICKET! Hales c Usman b Hasnain 4 (England 13-2)
Two wickets in eight balls! This is not going according to plan fior England. That’s a mighty grab from Usman Qadir who is at full stretch on the dive at midwicket. Hales is rushed by the extra zip from Mohammad Hasnain and so can’t find the timing he’s looking for with his cross-bat shot. But all the credit to the fielder. Wonderful catch.
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1st over: England 9-1 (Hales 1, Jacks 0) A helter skelter start to the chase. Phil Salt creams the first ball off the back foot for four and later heaves another towards square leg. But can’t go for three as he holes out to deep midwicket. Early scalps will do for Pakistan and they’ve got one.
WICKET! Salt c Wasim b Nawaz 8 (England 8-1)
Phil Salt falls in the first over. He started with a four and hit another one two balls later, but this time he picks out deep midwicket where Wasim takes a good catch on the run.
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Pakistan set target of 167
At the halfway mark we were talking about a score north of 200. Rizwan and Babar were cantering along as they became the first pair to score more than 2,000 T20 runs together. But spin from Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson slowed things down and an opening stand of 97 was as good as it got for the home side.
Rizwan carried on and fell for 88 in the final over. But a staccato 21 from Shan Masood curtailed his team’s charge.
Two sixes from Asif Ali in the final over – which included a double strike from Reece Topley – means England must go at more than eight an over. Given the way this team bats, that shouldn’t bee too much of a challenge.
Will I eat my words? Well, if they’re as tasty as Nigel Slater’s roast potatoes (endorsed by our correspondent Simon Law) then I’ll be more than happy to do so.
Off to grab a cuppa. Catch you soon.
20th over: Pakistan 166-6 (Asif 13, Nawaz 1) W-W-6-1-1-6. What an over to see out this Pakistan innings. Asif Ali clatters two sixes – both towards the leg side – after Topley bags a double strike. Why wasn’t Ali sent in earlier? I guess we’re painting a bullseye around an already shot arrow. 14 from it catapults Pakistan to a competitive, albeit a below par, score.
WICKET! Rizwan c Hales b Topley 88 (Pakistan 152-4)
Topley is on a hat-trick as Rizwan chips him straight to Alex Hales who finally takes a catch at mid-off. A lovely knock from the Pakistan opener. He had to get things moving. I don’t think his team have enough but if they do win it they’ll know who to thank.
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WICKET! Khushdil c Ali b Topley 2 (Pakistan 152-3)
Hard to overly critical of Khusdhil Shah who had little choice but slog at anything he could reach. Unfortunately for Pakistan he can only sky Topley’s first ball of the over and Moeen Ali makes it look easy peddling back from the infield.
The batters crossed so Rizwan is on strike.
19th over: Pakistan 152-2 (Rizwan 88, Khushdil 2) A brilliant over from Willey who closes out with 1-31 from his four overs. This final one bags the wicket of Shan Masood goes for just six runs. Willey is full and straight with a little bit of movement through the air. Lovely stuff.
WICKET! Shan lbw Willey 21 (Pakistan 149-2)
That is plumb. Willey is full and Shan Masood’s ugly swipe starts and ends in a different post code to the ball. A laboured knock comes to an inevitably disappointing end. I’ve enjoyed Willey’s performance so far. He’s showing a different side to his bowling and underlining his worth with an older ball. Fair play to him.
That’s the end of Olly Stone’s evening with the ball. He closes out his first T20 match for his country with figures of 0-36 from his four overs.
18th over: Pakistan 146-1 (Rizwan 86, Shan 19) He’s played a gem of an innings but Rizwan is playing a one-dimensional game at the moment. He’s looking to hit every ball towards the leg side but England have plenty of boundary riders making sure he only gets a single. Stone is back into the attack and, oh my, is that reverse swing? I think it might be. Either way, the bowling is straight and well directed so it’s hard for the batters to pick a boundary.
A rank half tracker on leg stump makes it easy, though, and Shan finally, finally, gets a boundary behind square. Stone goes shorter so Shan has to hit the next one in front of square, straight to a fielder. Stone then goes very full to Rizwan, who hits in front of square, also straight to a fielder.
17th over: Pakistan 137-1 (Rizwan 82, Shan 13) Rizwan has a clear strategy. England are wise to it though. Not that he’s hiding it . The plan is to move across his stumps and swipe it leg side. So Topley, who’s back, is cramping Rizwan and making sure he can’t free the arms. A dot ball to start followed by a single followed by a couple of twos puts a heap of pressure on Shan who is really struggling to find the middle of his bat. He steals a cheeky single thanks to Salt’s decision to throw at the stumps after an under edge. Weird bit of cricket. Topley remonstrates with his ‘keeper with waving arms. Another heave from Rizwan towards the leg side is worth just one.
16th over: Pakistan 130-1 (Rizwan 81, Shan 8) Finally, a bit of timing to match the intent. Rizwan charges Willey and smokes him down the ground for four. Shan can’t match him though. He’s struggling to get it off the square. A cute sweep (to a seamer!) gets him one but England might do well to keep him on strike and in the middle.
15th over: Pakistan 120-1 (Rizwan 74, Shan 6) Shan gets a life thanks to a howler from Hales in the deep. That really should have been snaffled at long off. Rashid doesn’t look too pleased. Still, a very tidy over from the England spinner that costs just seven runs. Pakistan’s rate has now dropped below eight. England turning the screws now.
Shan DROPPED!
Alex Hales has put down a sitter. Shan beaten in the flight from Rashid who is celebrating as it drops to Hales at long off. He had to make up some ground but got there comfortably. You’d have bet the house on him grabbing that. Could that prove costly?
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14th over: Pakistan 113-1 (Rizwan 70, Shan 3) It hasn’t been the greatest T20 debut for Stone. His first ball on his return to the attack is a filthy short one down the leg side and it’s just helped on its way to the fine leg boundary by Rizwan. He then collects two from a well directed yorker and three singles follow. Stone does end with a dot ball from a well disguised slower ball. Maybe I’m being harsh on the youngster. Everyone bowls a bad ball now and then.
Is Rizwan the best opener in T20 cricket?
Mohammad Rizwan's balls per dismissal in the first 10 balls of his innings in T20Is since the start of 2020 (when he started opening) is 107 (428 balls, 4 wickets). The next best first 10 balls BPD in the world is 50 - less than half as good as Rizwan.
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) September 25, 2022
13th over: Pakistan 104-1 (Rizwan 62, Shan 4) Willey is back and he’s found a much tighter line. The Pakistan duo can’r free there arms and have to fabricate space. But nothing doing and it’s just six off the over including a leg-bye. Really good from Willey. Solid comeback.
100 up for Pakistan.
12th over: Pakistan 98-1 (Rizwan 60, Shan 1) Success for England and Dawson deserves that. He’s been really tidy and ends with 1-32 from his four. Shan Masood strides out and goes for an extravagant reverse sweep from his first ball, but he can only glove it behind for a single. All eyes on Rizwan now.
WICKET! Babar c Duckett b Dawson 36 (Pakistan 97-1)
That was coming. Pakistan needed to climb to another gear but England’s spinners have more or less kept them going at the same pace. So Babar tries to force Dawson but doesn’t quite catch all of it. He picks out the man at cow corner and he’s on his bike.
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11th over: Pakistan 92-0 (Rizwan 58, Babar 33) Rizwan goes down the ground to Rashid. He catches the toe end of his bat. Jacks is under it at long on. Will he take it? Yes! But he’s about a metre over the rope so it’s the first six of the evening. Rashid is unlucky there. I think he beat Rizwan in the flight. Five singles elsewhere makes it a productive over for Pakistan.
We’re halfway through the first innings and it would seem that Pakistan are bossing it. They are. Sort of. But by all accounts this is the best deck these teams have played on this series so 220 might not be enough. England made more than than on Friday and Pakistan barely broke a sweat chasing down 200 on Thursday. One or two wickets and England will take back control.
10th over: Pakistan 82-0 (Rizwan 50, Babar 31) Spin is the way to go. Dawson replaces Willey and he beats Rizwan in the flight. Thankfully for the batter, he holds back on his lofted drive and it dribbles to the man at long off. No boundaries from that over but Rizwan’s single off the last ball takes him to 50. A wonderful innings (so far). He needs to climb through the gears now. Still, Pakistan on top and cantering at more than 8 to the over. This one, incidentally, was worth 8 without a boundary. Just shows what good running and expert placement can achieve.
9th over: Pakistan 74-0 (Rizwan 46, Babar 27) Rashid is so good. All his mates have been tapped about but he has the ball on a string. Just three runs from that over and it’s a consequence of his skill through the air and off the deck. One turns sharply and the other skids on. White ball spin bowling at it’s finest.
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Babar and Rizwan have just become the first pair to score more than 2,000 runs together in T20 internationals. They’ve also gone joint first for the most 50+ partnerships in the format, equal on 14 with KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma from India.
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8th over: Pakistan 71-0 (Rizwan 44, Babar 26) David Willey now. He normally opens the bowling but he’s here with an older ball. Babar plays a delicious dab down to deep third and gets four. Wow, he played that late! Willey recognises that Babar has used the natural angle so he comes over the wicket to negate that. Doesn’t matter if you bowl a half tracker, which he does, and Babar clatters a pull shot in front of square for back-to-back boundaries. Four singles contribute to an over worth 12 runs. Pakistan going at just under nine. 200 will be the minimum target from here.
7th over: Pakistan 59-0 (Rizwan 42, Babar 16) Now that the powerplay is over, Moeen has tossed the ball to Adil Rashid. He needs a wicket here, does the England skipper. It’s a tidy start for the leggie who’s bowling varying his pace. One is bowled into the pitch and skids on, another is looped up forcing the batter to wait on. Not that the Pakistan openers are bothered. They take five singles before Rizwan plays a delightful nudge to a vacant deep midwicket and almost gets four, but for a diving fielder. So they take two.
6th over: Pakistan 52-0 (Rizwan 38, Babar 13) Stone’s attempted yorker morphs into a full toss and Rizwan punches it down the ground for four. Stone reverts back to the short stuff but it’s not particularly hostile so Rizwan swivels it for a single down to fine leg. The extra effort means Stone oversteps so it’s a free hit. Babar looks to send it into orbit but can only pick out the fielder at deep midwicket. Some in the crowd weren’t paying attention. Not to worry folks, it was a free hit! Your man carries on. Two singles close out the over.
That’s the end of the powerplay. Pakistan cruising.
5th over: Pakistan 42-0 (Rizwan 32, Babar 10) Dawson returns but that’s class from Babar. He’s one of the best in the world through the covers and this stroke off the back foot cut is expertly played in front of square. Rizwan also takes a boundary with a paddle down leg from one knee. They’re rotating the strike nicely with Babar punching a single to the leg side and Rizwan closing the over out with a couple through midwicket.
4th over: Pakistan 31-0 (Rizwan 26, Babar 5) Rizwan is looking good here. His best shot of the over is a flashing drive that goes straight to cover. He does get a boundary to close it out, courtesy of a stinker from Topley that’s wide down the leg side and helped to the boundary off the back foot. A two and a single for Rizwan, as well as a single for Babar down to fine leg, means it’s a good over for the home side.
3rd over: Pakistan 23-0 (Rizwan 19, Babar 4) Twas just the one over of spin as Olly Stone enters the scene to bowl his first ball in an T20 international. It’s nice and full but Babar manages to squeeze it for a single. Stone’s second is pretty good too and finds Rizwan’s outside edge but with no-one there to catch to skims to the deep third fence. He digs in a bouncer which Rizwan swivels to deep backward square for one and Babar takes two in front of square with a flick off the back foot. A breezy opening, but Stone is no Wood.
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2nd over: Pakistan 15-0 (Rizwan 14, Babar 1) Reece Topley, who was very good on Friday, gets the ball swinging back into the right hander. Most batters struggle with that but most batters don’t have the wrists of Mohammad Rizwan, though that ball, the second of the over, was a gift and the opener tickles it for four. Another freebie in the form of a juicy half volley wide of off stump allows Rizwan to throw his hands at it and screams to the cover fence. When Topley gets his radar right he’s a handful so it’s just the two fours from that set.
1st over: Pakistan 7-0 (Rizwan 6, Babar 1) It’s left-arm orthodox spin to open up and it looks like it’s gripping. Dawson is a skiddy sort of bowler but the second ball is crunched behind square for four by Rizwan on the sweep. A single nudged through midwicket brings Babar on strike who immediately gets back down the other end with dab off his pad. A single down the ground for Rizwan closes out the over.
Righto. Here we go. Liam Dawson has the ball in his hand and he’s up against the best opening pair in T20 cricket (imo). Strap in.
“If you’re making your own and want decadence, add a bit of roasted bone marrow and garlic...”
That’s Toby Sims on his stuffing recipe. Good areas, mate.
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200 up for Pakistan, the first country to the milestone.
Geared up for our 200th T20I 👊#PAKvENG | #UKSePK pic.twitter.com/Rt3tv04WAf
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 25, 2022
An important change for Pakistan with Asif Ali in the middle order. He’s down at seven currently, at least on the list that I’ve used, but he could float about. Pakistan’s top order crumbled on Friday and it felt like the contest was over after just 4 overs. Ali has a T20 strike-rate of 148 (including domestic and international cricket). So he could give it a tonk and turn the tide if things go south for his side. A tougher assignment for England with the ball tonight, I reckon.
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Tom Hopkins steers matters to the chat that really counts.
“Sorry, I forgot the really important business. Get the parsnips and the stuffing right, everything else is secondary accompaniment-wise.”
I hate to be controversial but I’m not a fan of parsnips. I’ll have them if there are no potatoes or sweet potatoes, but never by choice. Stuffing, though, deserves a 2,000 word long read.
“Good Afternoon Daniel, Good Afternoon everyone (and Good Evening to those reading in Pakistan)“
Hi Em Jackson. Thanks for joining us.
On Mark Wood: Surely play him today, hopefully England win and go 3-1 up in the series & thus Pakistan have to win 3-in-a-row to get a 4-3 series victory? Is there such a thing in cricket like soccer as a “Seven Goal [Match] Thriller”?
Always tricky. I think they’ve rightly erred on the side of caution. He’s such an asset and if he’s fit England have a stronger chance of winning the World Cup. And according to Mark Butcher on the Sky feed Wood was knackered after his performance on Friday.
Pakistan to set a score in their 200th T20
Babar Azam reckons 180-190 is defendable. Let’s see. Not if England bat like they did on Friday it won’t.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Asif Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Usman Qadir, Mohammad Wasim.
Three changes for England
As we said earlier, Mark Wood takes a breather. So does Dawid Malan and Sam Curran.
That means that Olly Stone makes his debut, Alex Hales will open, shifting Will Jacks down to three. David Willey slots in as well.
England: Phil Salt (wk), Alex Hales, Will Jacks, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali (capt), David Willey, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Olly Stone, Reece Topley.
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England win toss and bowl first
Despite winning the match by setting a mighty total, Moeen Ali has won the toss and chosen to chase. Will be interesting to see how Pakistan’s openers respond.
We knew this was coming. Here is Tom Hopkins from a long run up with an email titled Law 41.16.1. Strap in…
"Afternoon Daniel, hope all is good with you.
As I my wont, I dug into the Laws after yesterday’s little controversy and there seems to be some subjectivity there. “If the non-striker is out of his/her ground at any time from the moment the ball comes into play until the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the non-striker is liable to be Run out” [Law 41.16.1].
If I read that as meaning ‘when the ball would have been released had the bowler gone through with the delivery’ (which I think I have to, otherwise the reference to ‘expected’ becomes moot?) then yesterday’s was a marginal call as the batter didn’t move until the bowler appeared to be turning her arm over to deliver. Was that something the third umpire considered? If so, how? How do you draw that line?
More generally, this seems like something we need a consensus on. As it stands, every time this form of dismissal occurs, the internet fills up with moral judgement on both batter and bowler. That seems undesirable. The question to me is whether some sleight of hand on the bowler’s part is fair game (per the Laws, that seems to be the case, but it feels out of tune with any other dismissal - the keeper might wait for someone to slip out of their crease before stumping them, but they don’t induce the batter to do so), or should this be punishment for a batter egregiously and repeatedly going early (which broadly seems to be the usual practice otherwise we’d see a lot more of these dismissals and/or batters dutifully remaining stationary until the ball is safely in the air)?
I won’t get too deep in the woods. What I will say is that if the batter stays in their crease until their partner at the other end hits the ball, we’d all be golden.
Getting wind that we’ll see a T20 debut for Olly Stone. He’s got three Test caps and four in ODIs. Looks like Mark Wood may miss out. A shame, but understandable. He was so fierce on Friday night but they’ll want to manage his workload and ensure he’s fit for the World Cup later this year.
YES! I was hoping I’d get some correspendce on Sunday roast sides. Here’s an absolute doozy from NC Benson:
“I go for baked parboiled Brussels topped with a mixture of, good quality breadcrumbs thyme grated cheese (mozzarella) olive oil and pine nuts.
I know nothing about cricket!!”
Never mind the cricket. That sounds delish!
Apologies for the earlier gaffe. There are in fact seven matches in this series. Blimey, that’s a lot, isn’t it? Probably why I forgot about the one. As my good pal Gary Naylor said on Friday, "T20Is are like London buses. They all look the same except for the numbers.”
Let’s hope this is one to remember.
Preamble
Howdy folks. Happy Sunday to you all. Welcome to the live OBO report of the 4th T20 international between Pakistan and England from Karachi.
The series is delightfully poised with the tourists leading 2-1 thanks to a blistering 81 not-out off 35 balls from Harry Brook as England claimed a 63 run win on Friday. There were some handy contributions from Ben Duckett (70* off 42) and Mark Wood who claimed 3-24 in his comeback match.
It was a chastening return to Earth for Pakistan after they triumphed by 10 wickets the night before with Baba Azam batting with a blade laced with nitroglycerin as he clattered an unbeaten 110 to go along with Mohammad Rizwan’s 88.
But the openers were removed for a pair of eights two nights ago as Pakistan stumbled to 28-4 which effectively ended the contest.
Correction: There are seven matches in this series so plenty still to play for.
I promise to keep the run-out at the non-striker’s end/Mankad chat to a minimum (but if you bring it up I’ll share my hottest takes with you). Not that we’ll need to flog that horse. This T20 should provide plenty of talking points.
If you have a view on controversial run-outs, England’s batting depth or your favourite accompaniment to a Sunday roast (sautéed Brussels sprouts with a touch of garlic, thyme and butter), do get in touch on Twitter or drop me an email.
Toss and team report coming in around half an hour. First ball is at 7:30pm local time/3:30pm BST. See you then.
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