Afridi was also the pick of the Pakistan bowlers, taking 3-15.
Advertisement
“How I performed is a credit score to Morgy (captain Eoin Morgan) – he stated “play your means, play precisely how you bought right here within the first place”.
But some lusty hitting from the 35 year old, including three sixes, brought the game back into the balance.
Alex Hales survived two early scares in the middle of the first over from Anwar Ali, who enticed the Nottinghamshire player to swing – and miss – at a ball well outside off stump and then very almost ran him out following the very next delivery. Afridi proved nearly impossible to hit, his three wickets moving him past Saeed Ajmal as worldwide T20’s leading wicket-taker of all time.
Woakes had finished well with the bat, and did likewise with the ball. David Willey held his nerve to restrict Pakistan to three more singles, leaving Pakistan 11 to win from the last.
Woakes then bowled the final over under major pressure, with Pakistan needing 11 to win.
It took only six balls before Billings produced his first scoop – a flawless pick-up over fine leg for four off the unfortunate Sohail Tanvir – before he charged down the pitch and powered the resulting slower ball over midwicket for four more. Another 14 came from the next over before Woakes bounced back with a wicket and just seven runs conceded in the last.
A remarkable piece of fielding from Umar Akmal had the packed crowd in Dubai on their feet.
Billings (53) clobbered a 24-ball fifty, while Vince stroked 41 from 36 deliveries on debut after the pair were called into the side for the rested Joe Root and Jos Buttler.
Pakistan slipped to 42-4 and then 75-7 before being dismissed for 146 with seam duo Reece Topley and Liam Plunkett both claiming three wickets as England won their fourth successive T20I showdown. And Stephen Parry also impressed although he was guilty of dropping too short at times. That’s a great effort.
Buttler continued: “We didn’t play our best, we certainly weren’t as fluent as we would like, but we got up to a good score”. This was a closer game.
“We have won the last six games”.
“For Sam to play like that at such an age is a really good sign for us”, said the skipper.
While Mohammad Hafeez may consider himself slightly unfortunate to pick out the only man in the deep on the leg side – he timed his pull perfectly – Rafatullah Mohmand was among the batsmen made to look uncomfortable by his sharp pace. We should raise our fielding standard and our fitness standards.
Advertisement
“I felt like I wanted to take my chance, and I felt good… and it was nice to run in and bowl quick and get a few wickets”.
