Leeds
Matt Parkinson and Moeen Ali impressed as England levelled the T20 series with victory over Pakistan at Leeds
England levelled the T20 series against Pakistan with a 45-run win as their spinners came to the fore at Emerald Headingley.
After setting the tourists 201 to win, Adil Rashid (2-30), Moeen Ali (2-32) and Matt Parkinson (1-25) shared five wickets between them through the middle overs to leave Pakistan’s chase in tatters and despite some brief lower-order resistance, they finished on 155-9.
Jos Buttler (59 from 39 balls) returned to the side as captain, with Eoin Morgan rested, and led England’s batting effort with his 14th T20I fifty, sharing a 67-run stand with Ali (36 from 16) and a partnership of 52 with Liam Livingstone (38 from 23), who followed up his stunning century at Trent Bridge by clearing The Emerald Stand with one enormous six.
England’s victory squares the series at 1-1 and sets up a tantalising decider at Emirates Old Trafford.
Earlier, Jos Buttler has been named as England’s captain for the second T20I of the series against Pakistan in Leeds.
Buttler, who has not played since sustaining a calf injury in the victory over Sri Lanka at Cardiff on June 23, is one of three changes to an England side that lost the first T20I in Nottingham on Friday.
Adil Rashid and Chris Jordan also return to the England side, with Lewis Gregory and David Willey missing out.
But it is the absence of Eoin Morgan, England’s regular limited-overs captain, which is most noteworthy.
Morgan had indicated ahead of the first match that England would use the series to take a look at different combinations of players but, having only batted twice in July and reached 20 just once in England’s white-ball season, his absence might raise some eyebrows.
“It looks like another fantastic wicket,” Buttler, who last captained England in a T20I in February 2018, told Sky Sports. “There are some smallish boundaries, too, so I expect a high-scoring game.”
Pakistan have named an unchanged side. Their captain, Babar Azam, won the toss and chose to bowl first.—Agencies
