"Our batters need to step up"- Babar Azam laments batting woes after loss to England in opening T20I

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam expressed his disappointment with their batting effort in the 1st T20I against England following their defeat on Tuesday. After losing the Asia Cup final to Sri Lanka, the Men in Green are looking to get things right against the touring English team. However, things haven't started well for them.

After being put into bat by England captain Moeen Ali, Pakistan got off to a very promising start. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam looked in great touch, sharing an 85-run opening stand.

The National Stadium in Karachi was treated to some electrifying strokeplay from Babar and Rizwan. However, Adil Rashid’s wrong 'un outfoxed Babar Azam and from there, the English bowlers turned the game around brilliantly.

Riding on a brilliant spell from left-arm pacer Luke Wood, who finished with figures of 3/24, England put the brakes on Pakistan's middle and lower-order batters. This dramatic comeback from the visiting team's bowlers restricted the hosts to 158/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

Fastest to 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ T20I runs:
🇵🇰 𝐌𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐳𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝟓𝟐 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
🇵🇰 Babar Azam 52 innings
🇮🇳 Virat Kohli 56 innings
🇮🇳 KL Rahul 58 innings
🇦🇺 Aaron Finch 62 innings

#PAKvENG | #UKSePK https://t.co/fK2r4WcRhL

Rizwan was Pakistan’s top-scorer with a knock of 68 of 46 deliveries, while Babar chipped in with 31 of 24. Iftikhar Ahmed was the only middle-order batter to make an impact, scoring 28 of 17 deliveries.

The target of 159 proved inadequate for Babar's team as they went down by six wickets. The English batsmen chased down the target in 19.2 overs. Speaking after the match, Babar Azam gave credit to England bowlers for bowling well but also pointed out the need for his team's batsmen to do more.

“The way we played the first powerplay was great. After 10 overs, there was a swing of momentum, which you have to credit England for. We didn't have enough big partnerships. Our batters need to step up.”

An impressive all-round show from England

Victory to start the series 💪

🇵🇰#PAKvENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 https://t.co/e8kzhqRasw

While it was a disappointing day for Pakistan, England enjoyed a good day in office. Though they did face their challenges during the run-chase, comeback man Alex Hales, who was wearing the England jersey after a gap of more than three years, scored a brilliant half-century to play a pivotal role in his team getting over the line.

The Pakistan bowlers bowled well in patches but weren’t consistent enough to defend the total. Playing in just his fifth T20I, Harry Brook tilted the scales in favor of England with a knock of 42 off just 25 deliveries, as England achieved the win with four deliveries left.