With the series level at 3-3, England face Pakistan in the seventh and final T20I of their seven-match series at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, on Sunday. The visitors will aim to seal a series-clinching win, but are also up against a strong Pakistan side eyeing a victory. Meanwhile, Ben Stokes, who is currently not part of the ongoing series but will travel for the T20 World Cup, had a motivational message for his teammates and wished them luck ahead of the final T20I.
Taking to Twitter, he wrote, "What a series it’s been to watch come on @englandcricket".
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England won the sixth T20I by eight wickets on Friday, which saw them level the series. Chasing a target of 170, England raced to 170 for two in 14.3 overs with Phil Salt slamming an unbeaten knock of 88 runs off 41 balls, including 13 fours and three sixes.
Meanwhile, an unbeaten knock of 87 runs off 59 balls by Babar Azam initially helped Pakistan reach 169 for six in 20 overs. Sam Curran and David Willey were in excellent bowling form for the visitors and bagged two wickets each. After the match, losing captain Babar said, "After losing a couple of early wickets, we thought 170 was a good score. Maybe we were 10 runs or so short, but the way Salt batted in the first 4-5 overs, they took the game away from us. The way they used the powerplay was the turnaround today. I think the middle-order needs to step up, they need to take responsibility. As openers, we need to build partnerships to not put the pressure on them."
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, an unbeaten knock of 87 runs off 59 balls by Babar Azam initially helped Pakistan reach 169 for six in 20 overs. Sam Curran and David Willey were in excellent bowling form for the visitors and bagged two wickets each. After the match, losing captain Babar said, "After losing a couple of early wickets, we thought 170 was a good score. Maybe we were 10 runs or so short, but the way Salt batted in the first 4-5 overs, they took the game away from us. The way they used the powerplay was the turnaround today. I think the middle-order needs to step up, they need to take responsibility. As openers, we need to build partnerships to not put the pressure on them."
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Player of the Match Salt said, "One on my best T20I knocks, nice time to do it with the series in the balance. It's always a challenge at the top of the order when you're playing well but picking out fielders. But I've had backing from the team who have been clear on how they want me to play. You need competition, some of the best teams have competition."