England beat Pakistan by 23 runs to lead T20 series with 1-0

England on Saturday stunned Pakistan by 23 runs in the second Twenty20 international of four-match series, taking a 1-0 lead.

Babar Azam and squad were bowled out for 160 while chasing an 184-run target. This is England’s eighth win in the last 11 T20Is against Asian side. Chasing 184, Pakistan’s batting lineup collapsed, managing only 160 in 19.2 overs despite a brisk 45 from Fakhar Zaman.

The visitors had a poor start, losing both openers Mohammad Rizwan (0) and Saim Ayub (2) cheaply within the first four overs, leaving them at 14/2.

Fakhar Zaman then joined Babar Azam, forming a counterattacking partnership. Their 53-run stand was dominated by Fakhar, who scored freely, while Babar played a supporting role until he was dismissed by Moeen Ali in the ninth over. Babar contributed 32 off 26 balls, including four boundaries.

The middle order struggled, with Shadab Khan (3) and Azam Khan (11) falling cheaply. Pakistan’s hopes took a further hit when Fakhar Zaman was caught off Liam Livingstone after a fighting knock. He top-scored with 45 off 21 balls, hitting five fours and three sixes.

Imad Wasim and Iftikhar Ahmed then took command and added crucial 40-run partnership for the seventh wicket. The duo attacked Reece Topley, scoring 16 runs off the first five balls of his third over. However, Topley struck back on the last ball, dismissing Iftikhar for 23 off 17 balls.

Imad Wasim followed soon after, falling to Jofra Archer for 22 off 13 balls. The tailenders failed to provide any resistance, and Pakistan was bowled out for 160.

Reece Topley led England’s bowling with three wickets, while Jofra Archer and Moeen Ali took two each. Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, and Liam Livingstone each chipped in with a wicket.

Confident England set a target of 184 runs, with captain Jos Buttler played a superb innings of 84 runs off 51 balls, courtesy of eight boundaries and three maximums. The fiery innings saw Buttler reach 3,000 runs in T20I cricket, making him the ninth player to achieve this milestone.

Babar Azam led team made an early breakthrough when Imad Wasim dismissed Phil Salt in fourth over, but England recovered with 71-run partnership between Buttler and Will Jacks.

Will Jacks scored 37 off 23 balls, while Jonny Bairstow added 21 runs. However, other English batsmen like Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, and Liam Livingstone struggled to score. Jofra Archer’s 12 runs in the final over helped England finish at 183/7.

Shaheen Afridi took three wickets for Pakistan, while Imad and Haris Rauf claimed two each. Shadab Khan and Mohammad Amir were unable to take any wickets.

Earlier, Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, won the toss and chose to bowl first. Jofra Archer returned to England’s playing XI after a year, while Haris Rauf made his comeback for Pakistan after three months.