England bounced back after Friday’s humiliating defeat to The Netherlands with a commanding 48-run win over Pakistan at the Oval on Sunday.
Chasing 186, Pakistan managed to score just 137/7 in their quota of 20 overs. Despite an unbeaten 46 off 31 by skipper Younis Khan, Pakistan ended up on the losing side and it was Stuart Broad’s second over that made all the difference. He finished with figures of 3-0-17-3.
Pakistan got off to a disastrous start, losing young Ahmed Shehzad for just 4. While Salman Butt (28) and Kamran Akmal (6) did try to give some impetus to the innings but Pakistan suffered a setback when they lost both batsmen in the same over from Stuart Broad. Younis and Shoaib Malik began their partnership by milking England’s two spinners — Adil Rashid and Graeme Swann. They preferred placement over power-hitting, largely dealing in singles with the occasional boundary or two, in a bid to keep Pakistan in the hunt.
With Pakistan’s chances of a win slowly fading, Luke Wright removed Malik (20) caught behind. Misbah-ul-Haq hit Pakistan’s first six of the innings in the 17th over, but departed soon after with just 10 on board.
Earlier, a fit-again and determined Kevin Pietersen (58 off 38) powered England to a formidable 185/5 off 20 overs. Luke Wright chipped in with 34 off 16, while Owais Shah managed a 32-ball 33.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, a fit-again and determined Kevin Pietersen (58 off 38) powered England to a formidable 185/5 off 20 overs. Luke Wright chipped in with 34 off 16, while Owais Shah managed a 32-ball 33.
{{/usCountry}}Brief score: England 185/5 in 20 overs (Kevin Pietersen 58, Luke Wright 34; Umar Gul 2/37, Saeed Ajmal 2/23) beat Pakistan 137-7 in 20 overs (Younis Khan 46, Salman Butt 28; Stuart Broad 3-17) by 48 runs