England v Pakistan, T20i: Five Things We Learned

Pakistan win the one-off T20 against England to call time on the international summer. Here’s what we learned from Old Trafford…

MAN OF THE MATCH – SHARJEEL KHAN (59 off 36)

The happy slapper. On the day that Leicestershire announced the signing of Sharjeel Khan for the 2017 NatWest T20 Blast, Sharjeel gave Foxes fan a taster of what to expect. Of course, he’s had moments throughout the ODI series, particularly when England notched 444-3 and he responded with a brisk 58. He went one better today – literally – but his 59 smashed England’s opening bowlers to bits, who failed to heed the lessons learned very quickly by their counterparts, who put the breaks on Alex Hales and Jason Roy. He might not be the modern day batsman like Roy or Jos Buttler, but there’s a devastation to his run-of-the-mill hoiks and his 10 boundaries were gloriously clean.

PAKISTAN OUT WITH A BANG

Perhaps it was fitting that Pakistan would see themselves off with a convincing win: a Manchester carnival of boundaries on one of the balmiest summer nights. Even with a modest 136 target, they left nothing to chance and produced an entertaining batting performance that signed off a thoroughly enjoyable tour. The Ashes may stand outright as “the one that matters” but few can argue this series has rivalled anything we’ve seen between England and Australia in the last 11 years.

RIAZ LETS IT RIP

Sure England have pace, but they don’t have Pakistani pace: untamed, ravaging and blockbuster in equal measure. And no one typifies that quote like Wahab Riaz. England’s dominance over the last month has made it easy to forget he was about. Sure, the three for 18 was a timely reminder, but the numbers contained within his second over really told the story: a fastest delivery of 96.39mph with a slowest clocking in at 73.05. He thrilled, he bamboozled and he sent the Pakistan fans into a frenzy.

WASIM THE WIZARD

It’s rare for spin bowlers to bowl out by the 11th over, but it made sense when Sarfraz Ahmed asked Imad Wasim to bowl his final six to Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler, who were fresh to the crease. Having opened the bowling, Wasim ensured England had to fight for runs on a gorgeous deck and a fast outfield. He gets the ball to dip and arc in, making it hard to play cross-batted shots against him, as Hales found out when he fell sweeping. Wasim also varies his pace well: his quickest deliveries were around 63mph, with the slower, loopier deliveries under 50. An excellent white ball cricketer.

NO PARTY

With just one T20 to round off a thrilling summer of white ball cricket, England had the chance to go out with some serious fireworks. Tymal Mills, a T20 specialist and one of the fastest bowlers in the land, alongside a rejuvenated Mark Wood, on the bounciest track in the country. Alas, it was not to be, as both bowlers and Sam Billings sat in the dugout with their bright yellow bibs separating them from the starting XI. It was most frustrating to see Mills not play, given how little cricket he has played in the last couple of months – thought that may also explain his exclusion. Ah well – it just underlines how much depth England have. It’s easy to forget this side made it through to the final of the World T20 earlier this year.