BASHED FOR CASH
Azam’s boundary chase delivers for flood relief
ENGLAND were cut down to size by Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and his second T20 hundred in a 10-wicket thrashing.
Azam fired 110 not out and Mohammad Rizwan 88 not out as they overhauled their target of 200 on a Karachi pitch designed for big hitting, to set a new record chase and level the seven-match series at 1-1.
The boundary-fest raised plenty of cash for Pakistani flood victims as for each six hit, $1000 was donated by the bank sponsors to go along with a generous donation from England’s players and the ECB – with both sides delivering nine maximums each.
For England’s bowlers and fielders though it was a night to forget as they failed to take one wicket during the 19.3 overs of the chase.
“I thought we batted really well and got a really good score,” said skipper Moeen Ali. “We dropped a big catch obviously and they cashed in.
“The wicket played very well and we have a lot to learn, but the Pakistan openers played brilliantly.”
Rizwan made just 23 when he hit Liam Dawson high up to Alex Hales at mid-on but the hero of the first match became the zero of the second.
He was joined in the doghouse by Phil Salt who then missed a stumping off Adil Rashid to gift the No.1 T20 batsman in the world yet another life.
Azam is ranked No.3 and showed his class in the 13th over when he took down his opposite number Moeen with two sixes.
Earlier England had flown out of the traps in the powerplay overs with Hales continuing his form from the first game in an opening partnership of 42 from the first five overs.
And despite the loss of both Hales
and Dawid Malan in successive Shahnawaz Dahani balls, there was no let up in the rate of scoring as Ben Duckett arrived.
It was an attempted lap down on one knee that was his eventual downfall for a useful 43 from 22 balls, but it brought Moeen to the middle for the fireworks to truly begin.
Both the skipper and Harry Brook found their range in a partnership of 59.
But with his eye in and the ball flying, Brook tried a ramp of his own against Haris Rauf only to get bowled for 31 when he had the chance to do even more damage.
Moeen collected four maximums in his 55 not out as England set 200 to win, but it could have been more.