A brilliant bowling performance of the England side handed Pakistan, under the leadership of Babar Azam, a 23-run defeat during the second of the four-match T20I series at Edgbaston in Birmingham. This came after the first game of the series was washout out at Headingley in Leeds.
Winning the toss, Pakistan captain Babar Azam decided to bowl first on a nice afternoon, expecting from swing with the new ball from the two left-arm swing bowlers- Mohamad Amir and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Both the pacers started well, but the spin bowling of Shadab Khan got the treatment from England captain Jos Buttler and Will Jacks.
Buttler, who almost carried his bat for a brilliant 84-run knock, shouldered the defending champions in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 to 183/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Imad Wasim bowled beautifully for his 2/19 in four overs.
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‘We have decided each player’s role’ – Babar Azam
Pakistan didn’t make a great start with the bat as they lost one of their successful T20I player, Mohammad Rizwan on a three-ball duck, who looking to take the aggressive route against Moeen Ali, didn’t get the right elevation. Another opener Saim Ayub too failed to contribute for his 2-runs, as Pakistan found themselves under pressure at 14/2 in 3.3 overs.
But Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman put up a good 53-run stand for the third wicket before the Pakistan captain was trapped LBW by Moeen. With the dismissal of Zaman, the runners-up of the last season couldn’t get the momentum back, as they fell like a pack of cards.
The 2009-T20I Champions lost four vital wickets in the middle for only 33 runs, in a span of 26 balls. Imad Wasim tried to nail a few big shots, but that was too little and too late by then.
In a discussion after the game, Babar Azam displayed his praise towards the bowlers and how accurately they have bowled against an aggressive and long batting line-up like England.
“It was a par score, our bowlers bowled very well. In the batting, there were moments, but we didn’t finish well. Small partnership between me and Fakhar and later on, there was no big partnership,” the Pakistan captain expressed at the end of the second T20I in Edgbaston.
The veteran also feels that had he and Fakhar could stay in the middle for a little longer, the result of the game could have been little different, as they lacked a few tricks in their finishing role.
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“We are flexible, everyone knows their role. We have decided each player’s role,” Babar Azam remarked. “If you are not in good form, we are flexible. The way Fakhar dominated after wickets fell (and) if me and Fakhar had batted for three more overs, it would have been a different ball game.”
The biggest positive for Pakistan in the fixture was how Imad Wasim bowled in the tough conditions, but the expensive returns of their vital member of the team-Shadab Khan will be a concern for them.
Both teams will meet for the third T20I game on May 28, 2024, at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.