Malan is outstanding as England wins the series
The hosts finally fell short by 67 runs as England maintained its lead with the ball after reaching 209 with the bat after being put in.
England reached a total of 209 how?
Dawid Malan, who came into the match in the fifth over and batted through the innings for a 47-ball 78, did the bulk of the job, while England made contributions at other points. The 106-run partnership he had with Harry Brook helped England win the second half of the innings. Prior to that partnership, Malan and Ben Duckett contributed 62 runs together, stabilising the innings after a shaky start.
Why was the steadying job necessary for England?
After an incredibly quick start, both Phil Salt and Alex Hales lost the game in the span of three balls. While Salt was engaged in a mix-up with Malan that resulted in his run-out on 20, the latter was trapped LBW by Mohammad Hasnain. Malan and Duckett initially adopted a careful stance with England in risk of faltering early and provided England with a foundation to build from.
What was the outcome?
Malan, who had reached fifty off just 34 balls when Duckett was run out, began to open up even more. His partner Harry Brook had a similar stroke of luck when Babar Azam dropped him on 24. Both Brook and Malan increased the ante in the final four overs with 55 runs, including 20 off the penultimate over, cashing in on the lives granted.
Why was Pakistan unable to mount a challenge?
In the opening over of the chase, Babar Azam chipped a catch to cover, dealing them a devastating blow. One ball later, Mohammad Rizwan was caught by Reece Topley’s full delivery, putting Pakistan on 5/2 and immediately on the back foot. Pakistan found it difficult to advance from such position at any time.
What positive ball play did England make?
Early removal of Azam by Chris Woakes set the tone, but the other bowlers did a fantastic job of backing him up. Adil Rashid began to shine throughout the middle overs and proved to be challenging to smash against. With no effect from dew and a pitch that gave spin throughout the second innings, England’s large score was sufficient to create more pressure.
Three of the wickets fell as a consequence of the pacers slowing down the ball, which allowed them to stay in the game for extended stretches as well. For Pakistan, Shan Masood scored fifty runs, although he was a member of a batting order that struggled to boost the ante against a systematic defence.
What is coming up for both teams?
Prior to the World Cup, England will play three Twenty20 Internationals against Australia, and Pakistan will go to New Zealand to compete in a tri-series that also included Bangladesh.
