After an ODI series that turned out to be a heavily lopsided and boring affair, the first T20I between England and Pakistan was a nail-biting thriller where runs flowed like a stream. In the end, the home side were bundled out for 201 in the pursuit of 233.
Pakistan rode on a 150-run opening stand between Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam to post 232/6 in the first innings. Liam Livingstone then led the spirited reply, and notched the fastest ever fifty (in 17 balls) – and hundred (in 42) – by English cricketer. But it was not enough to secure a victory for his team.
Eoin Morgan called the toss correctly and opted to field. Rizwan and Azam were cautious in the beginning, but played more freely as the game progressed. Azam smashed three back-to-back boundaries off David Willey to set the tone early.
Both went after spin, and cleared the ropes with ease. Rizwan brought half of his fours off Livingstone. When Matthew Parkinson was introduced into the attack, Babar and Rizwan hit a six each. Parkinson conceded another six and two fours in his next over.
Rizwan got out on 63. Sohaib Maqsood then kept the attack going, hitting two sixes and a four for his 7-ball 19. Babar (85 off 49) was finally dismissed after edging one to Jonny Bairstow off David Willey.
Fakhar Zaman and Mohammed Hafeez then clobbered England’s bowlers all over the park. Zaman made 26 off 8, while Hafeez got out on 24.
England lost Dawid Malan early in the innings. Attempting a cover drive, Malan was beaten by the pace and clipped straight back to Shaheen Shah Afridi. But that did not affect Jason Roy, who hoicked three sixes in the very next over, bowled by Imad Wasim.
Afridi got his second victim of the night, when Bairstow’s attempted hook found Imad at the fine-leg. Moeen Ali’s dismissal in the next over – as the Pakistani fielders avoided a potentially dangerous collision – reduced England to 48/3.
Livingstone did not take time to get in the groove. He finished the Powerplay with two sixes and a four. When Shadab Khan came into the attack, Livingstone welcomed him with two back-to-back sixes. In Shadab’s next over, he hit two more sixes and a four to complete his half-century.
Livingstone dealt in boundaries. Even as wickets kept tumbling from the other end, he kept the hosts in the match. The hope of an unlikely heist ended when Livingstone holed out to Afridi in the seventeenth over.
Pakistan then pulled back things and restricted England to 201 to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 232/6 in 20 overs (Babar Azam 85; Tom Curran 2-47) beat England 201 in 19.2 overs (Liam Livingstone 103; Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-30) by 31 runs. Player of the Match: Shaheen Shah Afridi.