Chris Woakes conceded just seven runs from the final over to deny the designated hosts, in pursuit of 173 to draw level, in a dramatic finale that was made possible by a brutal Shahid Afridi blitz. And though the powers may be waning, he remains a risky player.
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It was a topsy-turvy match for Chris Woakes, who finished on 15 not out, 13 of them in the last over, when he batted. It left 11 required from the final over.
Sohail Tanvir scores a run during the first T20I.
The captain’s statements reflected Pakistan’s bowling Coach Mushtaq Ahmed who also blamed poor fielding and lack of fitness for loss of T20 series against England.
What will also please the England think-tank most was the way the spin duo of Moeen Ali and Stephen Parry troubled the Pakistan batsmen.
Plunkett had Hafeez caught at mid-off from a leading edge and, after Sohaib Maqsood failed to pick a Rashid googly, Umar tickled the paceman down the leg side.
The Three Lions have already taken a lead by winning the first T20 clash in Dubai by 14 runs.
One boundary off the very last ball would have meant there was something riding on the result in Sharjah on Monday night (Start: 8am).
England have thumped Pakistan by 14 in first Twenty 20 game of the three-match series at Dubai International Stadium, Dubai.
The openers shared a stand of 32 of 4.1 overs until Hales departed for a run a ball 11 when he was trapped LBW by Shahid Afridi.
He dominated his fourth-wicket partnership with former West of England schools teammate Jos Buttler, which yielded 35 from 19 balls. He eventually fell to Afridi for 29 off 22 balls, he was caught behind after the wicket-keeper juggled his initial attempt.
Vince hit 30 of his haul in boundaries, while Morgan struck three fours and a six in his steadying knock. He then returned for his last over to have Vince caught in the deep for his 86th wicket in as many matches, beating countryman Saeed Ajmal (85 wickets in 64 matches) as the highest wicket-taker in all Twenty20 cricket.
He ran the show with exemplary calm, swatting three sixes in his quickfire 33 with the bat in England’s 172-8 and then holding his nerve under heavy fire in a nervy finish.
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Wicketkeeper Billings was selected instead of Jos Buttler and made the most of his chance to stake a claim for the ICC World Twenty20 in India early next year by making a scintillating 53 from only 25 balls. Ahmed Shehzad, who missed the first game due to illness, returns in place of Mohammad Rizwan, while Shoaib Malik, who missed the first game due to a finger injury, returns in place of Imran Khan.
