Cricket

England beat Pakistan to level T20 series

July 19, 2021 4:16 am

[Source: Reuters]

England’s spinners squeezed Pakistan to claim an emphatic 45-run victory in the second Twenty20 and level the series at 1-1.

Although Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone – who twice hit sixes out of Headingley – all sparkled with the bat, England failed to post a total that would have put Pakistan out of the game.

From 137-3 in the 14th over and 164-5 in the 16th, England lost their last five wickets for 36 runs to be bowled out for 200.

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However, England’s trio of spinners, led by Adil Rashid, superbly exploited a pitch that rapidly deteriorated.

Rashid claimed 2-30, fellow leg-spinner Matt Parkinson 1-25 and off-spinner Moeen 2-32 as Pakistan lurched to 155-9.

The series decider is at Old Trafford on Tuesday.