Mohammad Rizwan and Haris Rauf starred as Pakistan clinched a three-run victory over England to level their T20I series at 2-2 after a stunning match in Karachi.
Captain Babar Azam and Rizwan combined for an opening partnership of 97 as Pakistan posted 166-4, setting a target that England would have fancied chasing down.
Yet the visitors were unable to get there, despite a determined rally from Liam Dawson, leaving Pakistan to celebrate victory in what was their 200th T20I.
Rauf picked up three prized wickets, including that of Dawson, to take the player of the match award.
After both made just eight in the third match, Babar and Rizwan this time rekindled the form they showed in the second contest of this series when Pakistan swept to a 10-wicket win.
Babar made a handy 36 before being caught by Ben Duckett off Dawson's bowling, but Rizwan ploughed on to reach 88, eventually falling to Reece Topley in the final over.
Shan Masood made 21 and Asif Ali clattered two late sixes in 13no from three balls, as Pakistan pushed up their score.
The home team had work to do with the ball but came out firing, taking early wickets to dismiss Phil Salt (8), Alex Hales (5) and Will Jacks (0) in the first two overs of England's reply, as Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Hasnain made inroads.
England found batting rhythm through Duckett, striking three consecutive boundaries, although Nawaz put down a sitter to drop Harry Brook before he dismissed Duckett lbw for 33 in the eighth over.
Captain Moeen Ali made 29 and Brook fell for 34, before Dawson looked like winning it with a gallant effort for England. He reached 34 at breakneck speed, but a brilliant over from Rauf (3-32) halted the fightback as he had Dawson caught before bowling Olly Stone with the next delivery.
It meant England went from 162-7 to 162-9, and Masood ran out Topley in the final over to finish the contest, with three matches remaining in the series as the teams head for Lahore.
Rizwan and Babar set record
Pakistan's opening pair of Babar and Rizwan became the first batting duo to register 2,000 runs as partners in men's T20I cricket, coming into the day with 1,946 and smashing their way through the landmark figure.
The duo also equalled Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul's record of 14 partnerships scoring above 50 in T20Is.
Dawson drives recovery
England looked to be down and out heading into the final few overs, but Dawson's blistering display with the bat took advantage of some lacklustre bowling to briefly change the tide of the game.
His runs came from just 17 balls and contained five fours and a six, providing a glimpse of a comeback, but he was unable to finish the job.
Global Super League announces schedule change ahead of 2024 Tournament
The ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) has announced a schedule adjustment ahead of its inaugural tournament, which is set to take place at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence. The final will now be held on Friday, 6 December 2024, while the match between Hampshire Hawks and Victoria has been rescheduled to 10:00 AM on Thursday, 5 December 2024.
The tournament, featuring five teams—Guyana Amazon Warriors, Hampshire Hawks, Lahore Qalandars, Rangpur Riders, and Victoria—kicks off on Tuesday, 26 November 2024.
Sir Clive Lloyd, Chairman of the GSL, explained that the schedule changes were made in consultation with Cricket West Indies to avoid potential clashes with preparations for the West Indies' ODI series against Bangladesh.
“While the squads for the West Indies ODI series against Bangladesh have not yet been announced, we wanted to ensure that there was no chance of a clash between the conclusion of the GSL and the preparations for that series,” Lloyd said. “This decision has been made after discussions with Cricket West Indies to ensure the integrity of both the West Indies vs Bangladesh series and the GSL.”
Ticket holders for the affected matches can still use their existing tickets for entry. Those unable to attend the rescheduled games will be eligible for a full refund.
Revised Schedule for the 2024 Global Super League
26 November, 7:00 PM: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Lahore Qalandars
27 November, 7:00 PM: Hampshire Hawks vs Rangpur Riders
29 November, 7:00 PM: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Victoria
30 November, 10:00 AM: Hampshire Hawks vs Lahore Qalandars
1 December, 10:00 AM: Rangpur Riders vs Victoria
1 December, 7:00 PM: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Hampshire Hawks
3 December, 7:00 PM: Victoria vs Lahore Qalandars
4 December, 7:00 PM: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Rangpur Riders
5 December, 10:00 AM: Hampshire Hawks vs Victoria
5 December, 7:00 PM: Lahore Qalandars vs Rangpur Riders
6 December, 7:00 PM: Final – First Place vs Second Place
'Playing for England is the Mecca' according to Itoje amid global breakaway talk
Maro Itoje has reaffirmed his commitment to England amid talks of a proposed global breakaway league.
Steve Borthwick’s side are looking to end their five-match losing run when they face Japan in their final match of the autumn series on Sunday.
But there is fear that Borthwick could lose many of his players to the new league that reportedly are offering 40 £1m-a-season contracts for marquee players and more periods of rests for the players.
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) only select players for the national team from English clubs, meaning any player joining the breakaway league would jeopardise their Test career.
But Itoje has insisted that playing for England is the pinnacle for him and his teammates.
"I don't really know any of the details of it as yet, but wearing this rose is extremely important to me and my teammates," said Itoje.
"Playing for England is the Mecca."
Windies captain Powell takes mixed bag from England series as Bangladesh assignment approaches
West Indies captain Rovman Powell was candid in his assessment of his team’s shortcomings following their 3-1 series loss to England in the recently concluded five-match T20 International series.
Powell acknowledged the challenges the team faced in adapting to conditions early in the series but remained optimistic about their upcoming clashes with Bangladesh. This, as he believes, the Caribbean side once again showed glimpses of its potential throughout the series but were unable to consistently produce a complete performance.
In fact, England’s decision to bowl first in the opening three matches—two at Kensington Oval in Barbados and one at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia—exposed the West Indies' struggles to navigate challenging conditions.
They lost key wickets in quick succession during the powerplay in all three games, where they posted scores of 182-9, 158-8, and 145-8 and lost by eight wickets, seven wickets, and three wickets in that order.
As such, Powell admitted the team’s inability to adapt cost them dearly.
“I think we always, as a batting group, have a template that we try to work with; unfortunately, the template didn’t work in our first few games. It took us about two or three games to really wonder what’s really happening to us as a batting group, and we also need to sharpen up on a few areas as a bowling group,” Powell said after the rain-affected final game at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.
While he views their victory in the fourth T20I when they pulled off a historic chase of England’s 218-5, scoring 221-5 to secure a five-wicket win as light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, that win was merely to salvage some pride.
It is with that in mind that Powell highlighted the importance of quicker assessment and adaptability as key takeaways from the series.
“As a team, we need to assess a little bit faster. We didn’t play good cricket for long enough periods, and that made it a tough series. I think a lot of credit has to be given to Jos [Buttler] and his team; they really came in our conditions and dominated,” the Jamaican stated.
Despite the loss, Powell, who was among the standout performers, finishing as the series’ second-highest run scorer with 153 runs, is determined to build on the positives from the England series as they shift focus to the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh next month.
“The way we played the last (fourth game) showed that we can play really good cricket. If we had just assessed the conditions a little bit earlier in the series, it possibly would have been a different outcome. These are lessons to be learned,” Powell noted.
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