SK Play of the day: Pakistan's breezy run-chase vs England in the only T20I
The obsession with statistics that surrounds those commenting on cricket and its affairs can sometimes become an overkill for the actual practitioners of the game. For instance, a former India cricketer, when asked about the country’s statistics in away Test matches and about the relatively poor performances away from home, was quick to retort, saying, “How many countries can you name who win away from home on a regular basis?”
The retort might have been accurate, but in the same breath, we must also remember that records and statistics only represent the performances of the team, and while the stats may not reveal the complete picture, it isn’t inversely proportional to the performances of the team either. In this context, Pakistan’s 2016 tour to England can be termed as one of the better foreign tours undertaken by a nation in recent times.
The sinusoidal Pakistani wave
But, as is the case with the Asian nation, the occurrences of them spitting fire and those of a meek surrender can hardly be differentiated from one another. After all the humping and pumping post the 2-2 drawn Test series, and all the Misbah-esque pushups and Younus-esque comebacks, a cracking One-Day International series looked to be on the cards.
Instead, what transpired was, well, Pakistan being Pakistan. A world record total, a record English total – both team and individual – weren’t as much the highlights of the series as was Pakistan’s mellowed performance. A team that can be unbeatable on days always brings with itself the anticipation of the unforeseen. Two of the most watched games of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 involved Pakistan. The TV audience for the tournament was the second best, only bettered by India.
Thus, when Old Trafford became a Pakistani venue (note the irony) with scores of fans from the cricket-starved nation making their voices heard, it was hardly a surprise. That Pakistan actually rose to the occasion and delivered something worthy of such a raucous reception, definitely was a surprise.
The way the match had begun, it hardly looked like anything had changed, except for the Pakistani captain. Sarfraz Ahmed picked as many as four fast bowlers, the only newcomer amongst those being Sohail Tanvir, who has been turned to a T20 specialist for Pakistan. However, the new ball bowlers weren’t anywhere close to exceptional with the new ball.
A patchy start followed by a raucous comeback
Alex Hales and Jason Roy brought up the English fifty in no time – in just 5.5 overs – with Hales, in particular, being severe on anything in his arc. 53 runs were scored in the mandatory powerplay, and before one knew it, the overflowing capacity in which the fans had turned out for the game seemed akin to mute spectators.
However, Sarfraz, despite all the hammering that his bowlers coped up with, remained energetic. He was standing way behind the stumps for Mohammad Amir and Sohail Tanvir, but was fast enough to run all the way down towards the bowler’s run-up and talk to his bowlers.
Irrespective of that, it was the left-arm spinner Imad Wasim who got Pakistan the breakthrough, when Roy failed while reverse sweeping a delivery that went with the arm. That, in essence, was when the floodgates opened for England, and then refused to halt.
Hales and Root were dismissed on consecutive deliveries off Wasim and Hasan Ali, while Jos Buttler, after trying and missing out on three ramp shots, nailed a ball straight to deep midwicket. The three left-handers that followed - Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali - were well deceived by the subtle variations of pace that the Pakistani pacers brought in towards the second half of the innings.
It certainly wasn’t a 135 wicket, but that was exactly what England managed after losing 7 wickets. Until here, it was all well and good for Pakistan. The bowlers had made a superb comeback after conceding more than 50 runs in the powerplay, and the target, on a flaccid Old Trafford wicket looked gettable.
The Sharjeel-Latif show
But what made this match special was what followed after it. Two batsmen, with less than 15 T20I under their belt – Khalid Latif and Sharjeel Khan – walked out to open the innings. Latif, for one, had last played an international game in March 2016, while Sharjeel, in the limited appearances that he had in the ODIs, didn’t look convincing.
The target was gettable, but this was Pakistan – a team you’d most definitely not put your money on. For those who would have done that last night, it would have been a tryst with destiny. That destiny rewarded them in heaps defines the uncertainty that surrounds this cricketing giant.
As many as 14 fours and a six were hit in the powerplay and 74 runs were scored. The fifty was brought up in just 28 balls, and before England knew it, they were already lending their ears to Andrew Strauss’ call for a confirmation of their participation in the tour to Bangladesh.
Adil Rashid was hit for two sixes in his first over, and although he got Sharjeel in the 12th over for 59, Pakistan had already scaled up 107 runs and needed just 29 more runs to victory. Latif and Babar Azam did away with the formalities before one could even whisper about an English comeback, and Pakistan romped home with 9 wickets and more than 5 overs to spare.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 139/1 (Sharjeel Khan 59, Khalid Latif 59, Adil Rashid 1/2) beat England 135/7 (Alex Hales 37, Jason Roy 21, Wahab Riaz 3/18, Imad Wasim 2/17) by 9 wickets.