Pakistan vs World XI, 2nd T20, Lahore, highlights: Amla, Perera guide WXI to thrilling win vs PAK
A brilliant 69-run unbeaten partnership between Hashim Amla and Thisara Perera helped World XI beat Pakistan by seven wickets and a ball to spare to level the 3-match T20 series 1-1. Earlier, Pakistan had scored 174/6 in the 2nd T20 of the Independence Cup at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Catch highlights of Pakistan vs World XI, 2nd T20, Lahore here.
Two brilliant performances from Hashim Amla and Thisara Perera helped World XI sneak a seven-wicket win against Pakistan to level the three-game T20 series 1-1 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday. Amla and Perera struck an unbeaten 69-run partnership which took the visitors home with a ball to spare after Pakistan had scored 174/6 in their 20 overs after opting to bat. Perera’s 19-ball 47 included as many as five sixes but no boundaries as Amla played the anchor’s role. Pakistan had won the first match by 20 runs on Tuesday. The third and final match will be played on Friday. Catch highlights of Pakistan vs World XI, 2nd T20, Lahore here. (LIVE STREAMING) (SCORECARD)
23:10 hrs IST: The third and final game will be held on Friday which will act as the decider. Until then, take care.
23:05 hrs IST: That was quite a thriller! Hope you enjoyed our coverage.
23:03 hrs IST: Hashim Amla also deserves a lot of credit for his unbeaten 72 which was the highest score of the game
23:00 hrs IST: What an innings from Perera! 47 not out off 19 balls which included five sixes but no boundaries
22:55 hrs IST: Series is level at 1-1!
22:54 hrs IST: Full toss and BANG! SIX from the willow of Perera and World XI have done with one ball to spare! What an innings from the Sri Lankan!
22:52 hrs IST: Lot of discussions on the field! Super over anyone?
22:51 hrs IST: Six off 2!
22:50 hrs IST: This is a thriller! 9 off 4 and Amla on strike
22:49 hrs IST: Wide! 12 off 6 now
22:48 hrs IST: 20 runs off the 19th over and World XI need 13 off 6 now!
22:47 hrs IST: Bang! Six!
22:45 hrs IST: Shoaib Malik drops it at long off! This might be very costly and Perera gets a reprieve
22:44 hrs IST: Two runs and Sarfraz is angry! He wanted only one from that one
22:43 hrs IST: Full toss and SIX! Perera is on fire! 27 from 11 now.
22:42 hrs IST: Good bowling by Raees. Flumoxed Amla there. Only eight from the 18th over and World XI need 33 off 12
22:40 hrs IST: That is a huge six from the left-handed Perera. Second one from him
22:37 hrs IST: World XI now need 41 off 18 balls
22:33 hrs IST: Sohail Khan is back into the attack
22:30 hrs IST: Two fours from the willow of Amla and World XI need 51 off 24
22:26 hrs IST: 69 needed off 36 now
22:24 hrs IST: The skipper goes for 20!
22:23 hrs IST: And Faf is out trying to accelerate next ball!
22:22 hrs IST: Much needed 6 for the World XI! This time from the bat of Faf
22:21 hrs IST: Faf could have been out there but the Pakistan field could not reach the ball
22:20 hrs IST: Amla gets his 50!
22:19 hrs IST: World XI now need 79 off 42
22:18 hrs IST: Faf gets into the act and it is a SIX!
22:16 hrs IST: Pakistan is fielding really well, unlike their reputation in the field
22:15 hrs IST: If you want to know what happened in the first half of the match, click here.
22:13 hrs IST: The asking rate is steep but if World XI can retain their wickets then they can take the series into the third match
22:11 hrs IST: World XI need 97 off 54 balls
22:10 hrs IST: Du Plessis could be run out here! No he is safe, according to the replays
22:08 hrs IST: Two South Africans at the crease with Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla
22:06 hrs IST: World XI are 72/2 after 10 overs!
22:05 hrs IST: That ball barely bounced
22:04 hrs IST: OOH! Tim Paine (10) is out! Bamboozled by that Imad Wasim delivery
22:03 hrs IST: Hashim Amla is really the key for the World XI team
22:01 hrs IST: World XI are 70/1 after 9 overs
21:51 hrs IST: World XI are 49/1 after 6 overs
21:50 hrs IST: Tim Paine has come out to bat!
21:48 hrs IST: Impressive catch from Shoaib Malik and Tamim Iqbal is OUT! The Bangladeshi returns to the pavilion after an innings of 23
21:46 hrs IST: World XI are 44/0 after 5 overs!
21:43 hrs IST: Hashim Amla hit two beautiful boundaries in the fourth over. Just stood there and delivered, with a steady head over the ball
21:42 hrs IST: One of the players was screaming that all the deliveries were more or less the same. There should have been more variation (from Usman Khan)
21:41 hrs IST: World XI are 41/0 after 4 overs
21:39 hrs IST: Tamim Iqbal and Hashim Amla are doing exactly what they need to, to win this game
21:36 hrs IST: Brilliant effort from Ahmed Shehzad at the boundary, saved two runs
21:34 hrs IST: Tamim Iqbal is playing brilliantly. Six, four, ones and twos. Batting perfectly
21:29 hrs IST: World XI are 5/0 after 1 over
21:27 hrs IST: Tamim Iqbal and Hashim Amla are opening while Imad Wasim has the ball
21:25 hrs IST: And we are back!
21:19 hrs IST: Take a break. We will be back in some time
21:18 hrs IST: Shoaib Malik is out for 39 and Pakistan have given the World XI a target of 175!
21:16 hrs IST: Last ball and out! What a brilliant catch from the 41-year-old Collingwood!
21:13 hrs IST: Next ball it is six!
21:12 hrs IST: David Miller has dropped Shoaib Malik!
21:11 hrs IST: Shoaib Malik now has most T20I runs among Pakistanis, surpassing Umar Akmal
21:09 hrs IST: SIX! Bang from the willow of Shoaib Malik
21:08 hrs IST: Two wickets for Perera in the 19th over as Pakistan are 157/5
21:06 hrs IST: Captain Sarfraz Ahmed is out for a golden duck!
21:04 hrs IST: Imad Wasim is out! World XI are not allowing Pakistan to accelerate the way they would have wanted to
21:02 hrs IST: It is a no ball! Free hit for Pakistan
21:01 hrs IST: Imad Wasim is out! No wait, may be the ball was above waist height. We are going upstairs
20:59 hrs IST: Pakistan are 151/3 after 18 overs
20:55 hrs IST: Both Shoaib Malik and Imad Wasim are trying to go bang, bang here!
20:52 hrs IST: Imad had smashed 15 off 4 balls yesterday which included two sixes of the last three balls
20:50 hrs IST: Imad Wasim has come out to bat
20:49 hrs IST: Samuel Badree has picked up two wickets now
20:48 hrs IST: It was important that World XI break this partnership as Malik and Azam had taken the game away from the visitors on Tuesday
20:47 hrs IST: Babar is out! Samuel Badree picks the big wicket!
20:45 hrs IST: Pakistan are 134/2 after 16 overs
20:44 hrs IST: Shoaib Malik is batting really well. After hitting one out of the part, he backs it up with a lovely boundary off Imran Tahir
20:40 hrs IST: Little bit of a drizzle in Lahore
20:39 hrs IST: Pakistan have 36 balls and 8 wickets to put the foot down on the pedal
20:37 hrs IST: Pakistan are 115/2 after 14 overs
20:33 hrs IST: Former captain Shoaib Malik has come in to join Babar Azam at the crease
20:32 hrs IST: That was a quick one from Imran Tahir
20:30 hrs IST: OUT! Ahmed Shehzad is out after playing a steady knock of 43! Imran Tahir picks up his wicket
20:27 hrs IST: Ben Cutting has returned to roll his arm over
20:22 hrs IST: Nine runs from the first over of Imran Tahir. 11 overs gone & Pakistan are 87/1
20:20 hrs IST: After 10 overs, Pakistan are 78/1
20:18 hrs IST: Wasim Akram says he saw Collingwood play in 1996 and that he never thought he would be seeing the Englishman playing international cricket after 21 years
20:16 hrs IST: No six so far
20:15 hrs IST: After 8 overs, Pakistan are 55/1
20:12 hrs IST: The Pakistani innings has slowed down
20:10 hrs IST: And this is what ICC CEO Dave Richardson has to say about the series: “The facilities here have become brilliant. The last time I was here it wasn’t completed. Should have good value in the long run. The security has been great. It’s not gonna be an easy road back. That incident in 2009 really shook the cricket world. Not only do you have to bring the threat level down, but you also have to assure the others that there is the ability to bring that threat level down. I’m sure the fans’ patience has been tested but hopefully they see the benefit of the larger picture.”
20:07 hrs IST: Thisara Perera has come on to bowl
20:05 hrs IST: Pakistan are 47/1 after 7 overs
20:04 hrs IST: This is Collingwood’s first T20 in 6 years!
20:02 hrs IST: And Paul Collingwood has come on to bowl - a return to international cricket
20:01 hrs IST: Only one run from the sixth over, Pakistan are 43/1.
19:59 hrs IST: The crowd is expecting Babar Azam to play another classy knock like he did on Tuesday
19:56 hrs IST:Nice gesture by George Bailey, was bonding with the crowd. “A thorough gentleman,” says Wasim Akram
19:54 hrs IST: OUT! And that is the first wicket to fall as Samuel Badree picks Fakhar Zaman, who departs for 21 off 13
19:53 hrs IST: Hammered down the ground again by Shehzad and third boundary for the right-hander
19:52 hrs IST: Five runs from the over and Pakistan are 35/0 after 4 overs
19:50 hrs IST: It is quite windy out there in Lahore
19:48 hrs IST: Morne Morkel has come in to bowl his second over.
19:47 hrs IST: Pakistan 30/0 after 3 overs
19:44 hrs IST: After four boundaries from Fakhar, Ahmed also gets into the act and hits a boundary down the ground
19:43 hrs IST: No slip for Badree
19:42 hrs IST: Samuel Badree comes in to roll his arm over
19:40 hrs IST: Three boundaries from the second over! Fakhar Zaman is turning it on in Lahore! Ben Cutting goes for 14 in the 2nd over. Pakistan 16/0 after 2 overs
19:37 hrs IST: Waqar Younis says that he is surprised Samuel Badree did not open the bowling
19:36 hrs IST: Ben Cutting comes in from around the wicket
19:35 hrs IST: Pakistan are 2/0 at the end of the first over. Clean over from Morkel
19:32 hrs IST: Cautious start from the Pakistan cricket team
19:29 hrs IST: Fakhar Zaman and Ahmed Shehzad opening for Pakistan and Morne Morkel has the ball
19:27 hrs IST: We are moments away from the start of the game
19:21 hrs IST: The crowd is enjoying some nice music at the stadium, singing ‘Dil, Dil Pakistan’
19:19 hrs IST: The dust storm seems to have subsided now
19:17 hrs IST: Faf du Plessis says this series is not just about cricket, but beyond
“We have changed our team tonight. We would have batted first too. We have brought in a spinner. It’ll be a similar surface. Hopefully we can restrict them today. It’s good and we’re enjoying playing here. You don’t always get to play with these players so that’s nice. It is a very intense game. We are giving it our everything.”
19:12 hrs IST: Meanwhile a storm (aandhi as Wasim Akram described in hindi/urdu) hit the Gaddafi Stadium for five odd minutes
19:10 hrs IST: This is what the Pakistan captain had to say at the toss:
“The conditions look good to bat. We have made a few changes. Mohammad Nawaz comes in. Usman Shinwari replaces Hasan Ali. These are forced changes because of injuries. It’s amazing playing in front of home fans. We are just focussed on playing them as another team. They have a great batting line-up.”
19:06 hrs IST: Here are the playing XIs of both the teams
World XI: Tamim Iqbal, Hashim Amla, Tim Paine (wicketkeeper), Faf du Plessis (captain), David Miller, Paul Collingwood, Thisara Perera, Ben Cutting, Samuel Badree, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shehzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper and captain), Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Sohail Khan, Usman Khan, Rumman Raees
19:02 hrs IST: It looks a decent wicket to bat on but Wasim Akram thinks it will be slower
19:00 hrs IST: Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has won the toss and opted to bat.
18:58 hrs IST: It is time for the toss
18:55 hrs IST: The stadium is filling in, the players are warming-up and the lights are on. Lahore is ready to host the second game
18:52 hrs IST: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram says that Badree should have played yesterday
18:50 hrs IST: Meanwhile, Samuel Badree could get a match today
18:45 hrs IST: Hasan Ali might not plan today’s game for Pakistan
18:40 hrs IST: We are only about 20 minutes away from the toss
18:34 hrs IST: Meanwhile, not sure how many know it, the series is called Independence Cup
18:25 hrs IST: Out of those, 1 has been against Bangladesh, 2 vs Zimbabwe & 1 vs World XI
18:19 hrs IST: An interesting fact is that only four T20Is have been held in Pakistan and all four have been won by the hosts.
18:13 hrs IST: Babar Azam was the only player to get a half-century yesterday. In fact he was the only one to get a 40+ score!
18:06 hrs IST: Tuesday’s game saw 13 sixes being hit at the Gaddafi Stadium - six from the bats of Pakistan and seven from World XI
17:58 hrs IST: Will we see changes in the World XI team today after that loss?
17:52 hrs IST: Pakistan’s neighbour India will also be playing an important series against reigning World Champions Australia. This is what experts VVS Laxman and Michael Clarke would be the result of the series.
17:45 hrs IST: Meanwhile, there is some more good news for Pakistan cricket fans. Pakistan is set to host West Indies, Sri Lanka and World XI in the coming season
17:35 hrs IST: If Pakistan win today’s game then they will seal the series and will be a major boost for the game in the country
17:30 hrs IST: Babar Azam was the top-scorer and the Man of the Match in yesterday’s game has said that he wants more home games.
17:25 hrs IST: Pakistan earned a comprehensive 20-run victory in the 1st T20 that was held at the Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday.
17:20 hrs IST: International cricket finally returned to Pakistan after two years and for the second time since the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.
17:16 hrs IST: Good evening and welcome to the live blog of the 2nd Twenty20 between Pakistan and World XI
A packed Gaddafi Stadium witnessed a historic match between Pakistan and World XI and it was the hosts who came out on top much to the delight of their fans.
Babar Azam’s 86 powered Pakistan to 197/5 after being asked to bat. Azam stitched together a 122-run stand with opener Ahmed Shehzad, who made 39.
The World XI finished with 177/7 with Darren Sammy and skipper Faf du Plessis scoring 29 each. For Pakistan Sohail Khan, Shadab Khan and Rumman Raees took two wickets apiece.
While Pakistan will look to seal the series today, the World XI side will look to make it 1-1.