England clinch T20 series after thriller
Who needs the hundred? Certainly a packed and pulsating old Trafford could not have been treated to any more thrills and spills than this as cricket’s grand old short format served up a dramatic win for England in their Twenty20 decider against Pakistan.
Eoin Morgan, who left himself out of the second match at headingley on Sunday to give chances to his array of batting talents, came to his side’s rescue with a cool 21 from 12 balls just as Pakistan looked set to steal the spoils.
But he was indebted to England’s new star in Liam Livingstone, who smashed the most important six of his career to date off his first ball before being caught off his second trying to end the match in the grand manner.
Morgan fell with the finishing line in sight but David Willey and Chris Jordan somehow scrambled four runs in the final over as England won with just two balls to spare.
Morgan sprang a selection surprise when he left out Matt Parkinson but England were still spin heavy as they replicated the slow bowling policy that served them so well when they levelled this series at headingley on Sunday.
At the centre of that was Adil Rashid, at the peak of his powers as England’s most important T20 bowler and now, surprisingly, taking his first four-wicket short-form haul.
Morgan had trusted his senior leg-spinner with the sixth over of the innings, and he repaid his captain by striking with his second ball when the best googly in white-ball cricket did for Pakistan captain Babar Azam.
Rashid then struck twice in his second over to send back Sohaib Maqsood and Mohammad hafeez, and completed his best figures for England in a spell that included ten dot balls when Shadab Khan holed out to Livingstone.
Livingstone was at the centre of the action again himself even before his brief but memorable innings with another demonstration of the versatility that sees him threatening right-handers with leg-spin, and left-handers with off-spin.
But the most pleasing bowling display for England came in the form of Moeen Ali, who has clearly arrested the decline that threatened to see him drift away from the side.
Moeen was the player of the match at Leeds and, imbued with the confidence that a contribution with both bat and ball in a winning cause can bring, he was superb in conceding just 19 runs from his four overs and the wicket of Fakhar Zaman.
only opener Mohammad Rizwan held Pakistan together but he could face only 57 of the 120 balls delivered while he was at the crease in carrying his bat for 76.
A target of 155 is usually well within England’s reach but the fact Morgan unusually wanted to bat first emphasised that, on this pitch, it would be no routine chase.
Jason Roy was in sublime touch for such a tired surface and rushed to 50 off just 30 balls, also switch hitting Qadir to the boundary in his first over.
But when Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen all fell trying to hit over the top, England were 112 for four after 15 overs and the game was very much on.
That is when it fell to Malan and Morgan to try to take England over the line and prove yet again that he deserves his place in this jet-propelled T20 batting line-up.
how Malan could have done with taking England home but just when it seemed the job was done and 12 were needed off nine balls, he was bowled by Mohammad hafeez for 31 off 33 balls.
No matter. This was a memorable way for England to win yet another white-ball series, their last before they name their World Cup squad in September. The hundred has some act to follow.