Harry Brooke’s England team
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Middle-order batsmen Harry Brooke and Ben Duckett smashed hard maiden half-centuries in England’s stunning 63-run win in the third Twenty20 international against Pakistan in Karachi on Friday.
Brooke hit a 35-ball 81 not out while Duckett smashed an unbeaten 42-ball 69 to guide England to an impressive 221-3 in their 20 overs after being sent in to bat at the National Stadium.
JOB CARD | Pakistan vs England – 3rd T20I
Shan Masood led Pakistan’s comeback with a 40-ball 65 not out, but they finished well short on 158-8 in 20 overs to give England a 2-1 lead in the seven-match series.
The match proved to be an anti-climax compared to Pakistan’s big 10-wicket win in the second game on Thursday, which avenged their first game defeat by five wickets two days earlier, both in Karachi.
Fast bowler Mark Wood – playing for the first time since March this year following elbow surgery – dismissed Babar Azam (eight) and Hyder Ali (three), while Mohammad Rizwan scored eight and Iftikhar Ahmed six to leave the home side 28-4.
Wood finished with 3-24 while spinner Adil Rashid took 2-32.
Masood and Khushdil Shah (29) added 62 for the fifth wicket, but the asking rate rose as England’s attack continued to apply pressure.
Masood’s knock had three boundaries and four sixes.
England captain Moeen Ali praised Brooke and Duckett.
“It’s a brilliant win,” Ali said. “We were ruthless with the bat and the way Brooke and Duckett batted showed they are very good young players and the bowling was excellent.”
Azam regretted the sloppy bowling.
“We didn’t bowl well and once we got 222 we needed to get off to a good start, but losing four wickets in six overs wasn’t ideal,” Azam said. “We need to fix that in the next game.”
England had previously posted the highest total against Pakistan by any T20I team, beating Sri Lanka 211-3 in Dubai in 2013.
Debutant Will Jacks set the platform for England with a brilliant 20-ball 40 with eight boundaries before Brooke and Duckett went on the attack against the Pakistani bowlers.
Brook smashed five sixes and eight boundaries while Duckett hit a six and eight boundaries as the pair added 139 runs in just 69 balls – a record fourth wicket for England in all T20Is.
For Pakistan, leg-spinner Usman Qadir was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2-48, while paceman Shahnawaz Dahani scored 62 runs in his four overs without a wicket.
Dahani’s figures are the second-worst by a Pakistani T20I bowler, just behind Usman Shinwari, who conceded 63 in four matches against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2019.
England are on their first tour of Pakistan since 2005.
The remaining matches will be held in Karachi (Sunday) and Lahore (September 28 and 30, October 2).
