England beat Pakistan to win T20 international series – as it happened | Sport

Player of the series: An equally blond Liam Livingstone, grinning like a happy evangelical. “My six hitting I’ve worked really hard on in the last couple of years.” The interviewer asks if the hairstyle is lucky. “That’s the problem, maybe Jase and I will have to keep it.”

Babar can barely be heard in the chorus of vuvuzelas that greets his interview. He says he is pleased by the team’s fight but they were perhaps 15 runs short.And he thanks all their supporters.

Eoin Morgan is happy. Again. Says this was the worst possible wicket for his team, a spinning slowing wicket, and they managed to win against a very good side. Morgan says he doesn’t think the ball will turn as much in the UAE as it did at Old Trafford tonight.

And that’s it from me. Thanks for all the emails. I’ll be back tomorrow – with the Hundred…. good night!

A word about Pakistan. They came back from a flaccid performance in the ODIs, to fight tooth and claw, as befits their top-four T20 status and freshness from the PSL. Mohammad Hafeez nearly swung it with his three wickets, and the glory could have been Hasan Ali’s had Morgan been caught in his final over. Their supporters can drum home happy after a gloriously sweaty and manic night at Old Trafford.

The player of the match is a bleached Jason Roy, who jogs to the presentation in his sliders.

Did Malan do enough?. I think so. It wasn’t an easy pitch – even Jos Buttler struggled, and Rizwan wasn’t at his fluent best – and he played the lynch-pin role.

What a brilliant end to a superb T20 series!! Well played Pakistan, well played England! A game that had it all – nerve-tingling tension, a full house, a fizzing pitch, sixes – chapeau Liam Livingstone – and a scrap to the very end.

19.4 overs: England 149-6 (Willey 0, Jordan 4) What a night! An absolute thriller. Morgan is dropped the ball before he is out. Then Jordan squeezes an inside edge off Hassan Ali and with two balls remaining gets a bottom edge which he squeezes behind the stumps! He scampers through the second and dances a jig of delight!

19th over: England 149-6 (Morgan 19, Jordan 0) A thick edge to third man goes for a single. Malan gets lucky with a bobbling misfield on the boundary, before the wicket – we’ll discuss his World Cup place later. OMG!!! Livingstone gets down on one knee and sweeps him the greatest aplomb you’ve seen into the party stand for six. He tries again next ball and perishes. Six needed from six.

“Captain my captain” taps Colum Fordham. “If ever there was a time for a captain’s innings from Morgan, this is the moment you feel. Brilliant match and I’ve been impressed with Shadab, Imad and the elderly statesman Hafeez who have turned the screws on england. Should we have sent Livingstone up the order?”

I’ll tell you in an over.

He comes a cropper! An outside edge, high and straight to third man.

Gave himself room, hit the top of leg stump, skidded through. Arghghg! In comes Livingstone to his home crowd.

18th over: England 139-4 (Morgan 18, Malan 28) Babar turns to Hasan Ali. But he misses his yorker and it’s SIX! Morgan eyeing up, picking up, and lofting into the crowd, just past the leaping fielder. He can’t score from the next two. A slower ball, oh so clever, that Morgan can’t get bat on. He raises his hand in apology to Malan. OH – and that is glorious, another pick up n six. England need 16 from 12 balls.

17th over: England 126-4 (Morgan 6, Malan 27) Two boundaries! A desperate whallop through midwicket by Malan – they all count. Then Morgan steps away and wipes the ball through the covers. 29 needed from 18 balls.

16th over: England 116-4 (Morgan 1, Malan 22) Just four from Shadab’s over – would muscle be better here for England than age and experience. Livingstone fiddling his thumbs in the pod.

After 16 overs, Pakistan had exactly the same score!

I think he withdrew for personal reasons in 2020, and I think joined Sunrisers this year.

15th over: England 109-3 (Moeen 0, Malan 17) Tension starts to groan, three from the over and the wicket! In strolls Morgan with a smile on his face.

England need 43 from 30 balls. Game on!

Moeen decides on the old heave-ho, dancing down the pitch in his orange boots, hits thin air and is bowled neck and crop.

14th over: England 109-3 (Moeen 0, Malan 17) Smashing over from Imad, who beats Malan’s outside edge with a ball to die for. Malan fights back with a reverse-sweep to the boundary. Just five from the over. The vuvuzelas are singing, cicadas in the meadow.

“The Cricket Magnolia website!” bounces Andrew Benton “with photos, looks rather pioneering.”

Nicely taken in the finger tips by Maqsoon, stepping, then leaning backwards, arms above his head. Another slog that went high rather than long.

13th over: England 104-2 (Bairstow 5, Malan 12) We pause, for a pitch invasion by a young kid I think. So many happy faces in the crowd on this hot, hot evening as the sun starts to slip towards the horizon. They fancy a reverse-sweep but it doesn’t make the boundary. A nice fight-back by Hafeez

An acquired taste I guess, and perhaps not if its being blown down your ear, but I quite like them.

12th over: England 99-2 (Bairstow 3, Malan 9) No boundaries off Hafeez, but the tick-tock of five singles.

11th over: England 94-2 (Bairstow 0, Malan 7) Pakistan’s fielding, so good at Trent Bridge, slips and slithers, and this time it’s Hasnain who is done by the mischievous spin on the rope. Roy repeats the shot, another sweep, hard and fast, another boundary. Then the wicket! Too late for Pakistan? England need 61 from 54.

A rush of blood and safely collected with both hands by Fakhar at long off! Marvellous by Roy, 64 off 36 balls, though he’s furious and curses to himself on the walk back.

10th over: England 83-1 (Roy 56, Malan 4) Roy sweeps Shadab for four to reach his fifty, beads of sweat decorate his forehead and he sticks up a thumb in appreciation. Brutal batting. An edge for four follows as Malan picks up a couple.

After ten overs, Pakistan were 73-3.

9th over: England 72-1 (Roy 47, Malan 2) Malan needs runs, he’s had a ropey series, just one and one in his previous two innings. He manages to top his best score with a couple of singles off Usman Qadir. Crunch time now, we’ve hit the mid-innings lull.

8th over: England 67-1 (Roy 44, Malan 0) Can Shadab switch the narrative? Ah, he nearly does as Buttler hoiks a huge turning ball high into the air, and Maqsood gets nowhere near. Teapots from Pakistan. Babar wasn’t going to make a mistake from the last ball. Buttler never looked in good touch today.

Superbly taken by a fired-up Babar who hurls the ball into the turf, after Buttler skies the ball to long-off.

7th over: England 51-0 (Roy 34, Buttler 10) It’s the new boy, the leggie, and he doesn’t have a first over to remember, as Buttler suddenly discovers his touch and reverse-pulls him to the boundary. Roy finds the boundary twice more as he rockets towards his fifty. England could win this in 15 overs.

6th over: England 45-0 (Roy 34, Buttler 10) Buttler is beaten by an on point Hasan Ali yorker, then is within a clothes peg of being caught behind. Eventually accepts the inevitable and gives Roy the strike. But even Roy is beaten, trying to ramp a ball and ends up doing the do-si-do. Ah, that’s more like it! An air-kissing on drive.

5th over: England 39-0 (Roy 29, Buttler 9) And the pattern continues: Roy blasting – over long on for a monstrous six, another swept for four – Butler poking at Imad – he gets a bottom edge which somehow just misses his stumps.

4th over: England 27-0 (Roy 18, Buttler 8) Shaheen Afridi is whipped off after that very expensive first over, and Babar turns to Hasan Ali. He sends down a wide to start, but then four dots, before Buttler swipes him for a couple. He tries to scoop the last but is befuddled by a slower ball. Excellent bowling. Buttler not timing the ball to his usual perfection

Hi Tanya, Hi Colum Fordham.

“Match beginning to become very tasty in sunny Old Trafford with Rizwan taking control and England’s spin trio testing the Pakistan batsmen. Just to add flavour, enjoying a multicultural supper with English friends featuring Indian dal, Sri Lankan fish fritters and Falafel made by a Pakistani family here in Naples. Oh, and crisps and beer.”

Bloody marvellous!

3rd over: England 24-0 (Roy 18, Buttler 6)Imad , hair slicked back behind a head band, slings the ball from hand to hand in approach. Buttler picks up his first boundary , with a full-wellied cover whatck.

2nd over: England 19-0 (Roy 18, Buttler 1) Shaheen Afridi takes the Statham End with his magnificent high hair. Humph, says Roy pinging him for four leg-side fours: Jason Roy – he loves a bit of pace.

Mark Hooper’s mind is on Mongolia,”I once visited Lake Hovsgol in Mongolia, which freezes so solid that trucks use it to drive from Siberia as it’s a smoother ride than the roads. One night we witnessed a truck driver dig a pit in the ice and light a fire under the truck’s fuel tank to stop it from freezing. Health and safety?”

1st over: England 3-0 (Roy 2, Buttler 1) Babar throws the ball to Imad and it is tidy. Just three singles

Zain Malik is optimistic: “There is still something in it for Bobby’s boys. Old Trafford has been generous to the English Spinners. Luckily Pakistan are following Ramiz Raja’s advice and have decided to experiment with two leggies. Shadab and Usman Qadir. Hassan Ali’s services will also be intrinsic. This is not much of a total but the battle is on. England’s game to lose.”

“It’s a great wicket so bowl spin on,” says Moeen – there’s no escape for the players between innings. I’d guess this isn’t enough by Pakistan, but let’s see what their spinners can do. A nice innings from Rizwan, but he didn’t really have any support. Career best figures for Rashid and miserly from Moeen. Time for a quick drink, back in five mins!

20th over: Pakistan 154-6 (Hasan Ali 15, Rizwan 76) Rizwan is furious with himself after missing a full ball from Jordan. The next clears the fielders at cover peddling backwards but doesn’t cross the rope. The next, a 90mph yorker, scuffs Hasan Alis’ boots. He squeezes a single to the fourth. Rizwan then tries to ramp but is foxed by a beauty of a slower ball and can only pick two off the last.

19th over: Pakistan 149-6 (Hasan Ali 12, Rizwan 74) It’s Saqib with the penultimate over. That’s the way to do it! Hasan Ali gets off the mark with a tennis ball volley into the crowd where it is all too much for a crying baby. Slower ball spotted. The next is a wide, and called, but the next just wide enough. At the top of his mark, Chris Jordan offers his two penneth’worth. Hasan Ali isn’t going to die trying, throws the bat and ball flies off the top edge past Buttler for four.

One for the diary, on a sunny August Monday:

18th over: Pakistan 135-6 (Hasan Ali 0, Rizwan 58) Just the one boundary, with big runs needed from the final two. Jordan 3-0–25-0

Off he goes, shaking his head, but he’s only got himself to blame I’m afraid after strolling between the wickets with the urgency of a cow at pasture. Smart throw by Bairstow and great take and dispatch by Jordan.

17th over: Pakistan 125-5 (Imad Wasim 0, Rizwan 58) Rashid throws it up and Rizwan says thank you, dances to meet it and sling-shots it into the crowd. But after that they can’t get after him, and the frustration shows in Shadab’s hopeful hoe towards the boundary. Tasty figures from Rashid: 4-35.

Shadab needs to have a go, but he sends it high rather than long with the heel of the bat and Livingstone snaffles it, straight out of the sun.

16th over: Pakistan 116-4 (Shadab 1, Rizwan 58) The end of Moeen’s spell and they’ve not been able to get him to the rope. He’s ripped it out of dusting pitch. Excellent stuff. Pakistan now need to get that ball into the green shirts in the crowd.

The umpire originally says no to a straight ball that seems to hit Fakhar’s bat pad. Moeen is very keen, persuades Morgan, and he’s right! Top of middle.

15th over: Pakistan 113-3 (Fakhar 24, Rizwan 56) Pakistan kept quiet again as spin, this time through Livingstone, does the business again for England. Stuart Broad stares at the pitch, hmmm he says, this isn’t going to be an easy pitch to score on.

I think the simplest answer would be rhythm and run-up. You can’t risk bowling a no-ball, especially in this type of cricket.

14th over: Pakistan 104-3 (Fakhar 21, Rizwan 50) The lime-green shirts are wary of going after Moeen, especially after his first ball spits past Rizwan’s bat. Just seven from the over. Not as fluent as he sometimes is but a great innings by Rizwan.

13th over: Pakistan 101-3 (Fakhar 19, Rizwan 49) Here comes Livingstone with his this-ways-and-that. Poor Malan is thwarted down on the rope by a ball which spins further and further away from his grasping hand and runs away for four. Don’t think about it Dawid, though difficult when you’re being reminded by a crescendo of vuvuzelas.

“A propos of not much,” ponders Damian Clarke. “Mongolia is home to the endangered two-humped Bactrian camel, and is also home to one-third of the world’s snow leopard population. Its capital, Ulaanbaatar, is officially the world’s coldest capital city. You’re welcome.”

12th over: Pakistan 91-3 (Fakhar 16, Rizwan 42) Brilliant from Moeen, weaving a web: his figures now read 2 overs, 0-9