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So that concludes our coverage of this contest but there's a lot more cricketing action from around the world including the final USA-Bangladesh T20I that is on as we speak before West Indies take on South Africa in the second T20I in under a couple of hours from now. There's the big one tomorrow of course with the IPL final as Kolkata Knight Riders face Sunrisers Hyderabad so don't forget to follow our coverage of that as well on this platform. And of course as far as this series is concerned, the party now moves to Cardiff as the two teams square off in an evening encounter (6.30 PM local time, 11 PM IST start) on Tuesday. Do join us for that as well and until then this is the duo of Arya Sekhar Chakraborty and Sooryanarayanan Sesha taking your leave. Thank you so much for joining us today. Good night and have a happy Sunday tomorrow!
A solid performance by England and they take the lead in this series as a result. Pakistan have two more games of course and will look to bounce back and turn in a much better display, particularly with the bat. They will be happy with how their bowlers fared today of course and we must mention Haris Rauf and how well he bowled on comeback from a long injury layoff. Positives to work with but more areas to improve upon for Babar Azam and his men.
Jos Buttler (England captain and Player of the Match): Yeah I think we got a huge amount of the game. That's a big tick in the box. I thought quite a few players stood up today. You always want to play well in T20 cricket and nice to get some going. Jofra has been brilliant. The emotions he took after the wicket. It won't be the Jofra Archer of old straightaway so he has to give himself some time. I think little bit of both, we have to look after Jofra. Yeah really pleased. I think the whole bowling group has been great. Rashid didn't play enough competitive games coming into the series but he will get into his rhythm
Babar Azam (Pakistan captain): It was a par score. I think we bowled well but we got small partnerships. Apart from me and Fakhar, we didn't get a big partnership going. (On the top four) Mostly we are flexible and everyone knows his role. Before the series we decided who will play which role and we are already clear. (On Fakhar and Iftikhar) The way Fakhar dominated after a wicket fell (was great). Had me and Fakhar taken 2-3 more overs we would have been closer. (On Imad) Good for us the way he's bowling. He's an experienced bowler and he knows how to bowl in different situations and read the batter. The batters sometimes come after you. Shadab is one of the best with the bat and ball and especially his fielding. He will come back strong. We are mostly settled - yesterday we announced the team (for the World Cup). We played in Ireland and have changed our mindset. We want to give confidence to our players.
Match Summary: England beat Pakistan by 23 runs to go 1-0 up in the series.
Jos Buttler 84 (51) | Reece Topley 3/41 (3.2) Fakhar Zaman 45 (21) | Shaheen Afridi 3/36 (4)
A fine all-round display by England and they will be mighty satisfied with this performance they've turned in. 183 was a solid score to play with on a deck that was two-paced after skipper Jos Buttler set things up with a sparkling 84. While the world awaited with bated breath for Jofra Archer's return, it was Moeen Ali who set the tone for the hosts as he removed Mohammad Rizwan in the first over.
Ali and Reece Topley kept things tight early in the powerplay with Saim Ayub also perishing soon. But Fakhar Zaman came out a man possessed - he reeled off four boundaries off the first four deliveries he faced and showed no mercy when Archer eventually came on, stepping out to smack him over mid-wicket before ramping him over fine leg for a six. Skipper Babar Azam also unleashed some impressive shots as the duo notched up a partnership in excess of 50.
That's when Adil Rashid came on to tighten the screws though and it led to a wicket at the other end as Babar played all around a sweep off Moeen. Wickets then started to fall regularly with the asking rate duly shooting up as England snuck in some tight overs. Archer's rhythm got better with each progressive over as he hit those hard lengths and also got the yorker in and once Fakhar holed out off Liam Livingstone's bowling, it was a bridge too far for Pakistan.
They did not give up, however, as Iftikhar Ahmed and Imad Wasim kept them in the fight. The duo tore into Rashid's loopy deliveries and brought the asking rate within control although when they departed on either side of Chris Jordan nailing his yorkers in the 17th over, the writing was on the wall. Thereafter, it was a case of the inevitable unfolding as England wrapped up a comfortable win marked by an excellent outing on the field.
What England will be very happy with is how they turned up as a unit and delivered the goods in what was their first game together in over two months in any format. And of course, Archer's spell where he did not miss a beat will please them to no end. A satisfying result in the end for the hosts - stay tuned for the presentation...
Another excellent catch and it duly sums up how good England have been on the field today. They've wrapped things up in style and the reigning world champions take the lead in this series with a highly impressive performance.
19.2 Reece Topley to Shaheen Afridi, WICKET! England win by 23 runs. Topley finishes it off as England take a 1-0 lead in the four match series after two matches. That was a pace-off delivery on a good-length around middle and off, Shaheen gets down on one knee and goes for the slog sweep, ends up getting a toppish edge and Phil Salt takes a comfortable catch striding in from widish long-on. Shaheen Afridi c Philip Salt b Reece Topley 9 (11b, 0x4, 0x6)
19.1 Reece Topley to Shaheen Afridi, fuller-length delivery on the pads, Shaheen goes for the flick and squirts it down towards the on side from the inside half of the bat, comes back for a brace.
Reece Topley [3.0-0-39-2] to bowl the final over of the game
Outstanding execution by Jordan at the death. He might have sealed this for good considering all practical purposes but then, this is a funny sport. One wicket to get for England but Pakistan are still in it if they can land a few blows. Pakistan require 26 runs to win off the final over!
19
overs
158/9score
0
1
W
2
1
1
runs
Shaheen Afridi*
7(9)
Haris Rauf
3(2)
Chris Jordan
1/31
18.6 Chris Jordan to Shaheen Shah Afridi, nails the middle stump yorker and Shaheen only manages to jam that away over the bowler's head and has to settle for a single.
18.5 Chris Jordan to Haris Rauf, slower delivery on a good-length a shade outside off, Haris goes swinging across the line, was a bit early into the shot and gets the cue ender down towards third man for a single.
28 needed off 8...
18.4 Chris Jordan to Haris Rauf, a low full toss around the middle stump channel, bunted away down the ground by showing a full face of the bat, Jofra Archer with a great effort at long on and keeps it to a brace.
Haris Rauf, RHB, is the last man out in the middle
That is superb from Jordan. Took pace off there having spotted Amir shuffling across and he wears a beaming grin from ear to ear. England are just a wicket away from going 1-0 up.
18.3 Chris Jordan to Mohammad Amir, WICKET! England nearing a well-deserved victory here. Mohammad Amir was deceived by the slower delivery and has to take the long walk back to the pavilion. Amir moves across the off-stump and tried to use the pace of the delivery to ramp it over fine leg, got into position early and the ball took an eternity to arrive, gets beaten and the middle stump has been rattled. Mohammad Amir b Chris Jordan 5 (3b, 1x4, 0x6)
18.2 Chris Jordan to Shaheen Afridi, Shaheen moves across the off stump and Jordan follows him, goes for the scoop only manages to squeeze that away towards short fine for a single.
That looks dead. Shaheen has to chance a review though. And as it turns out, the impact was outside leg stump. Shaheen will carry on then.
Video
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B Azam
P Salt
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Shaheen Afridi
*
Chris Jordan
Edgbaston, Birmingham
