Sharjah: England won a tense battle Super Over finish in the third and final Twenty20 match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium to complete a 3-0 clean sweep over Pakistan.
Twenty20 cricket lived up to its thrilling reputation at a venue that has produced many exciting one-day matches.
After the scores were tied at 154, the extra over was needed to separate two teams that battled hard throughout, creating many dramatic moments.
England were restricted to a moderate 154 for 8. It was James Vince’s 46 runs off 45 balls and Chris Woakes’ 37 off just 24 that helped England to a competitive total.
It was their lowest total of the series, mainly due to Pakistan’s improved fielding and Shahid Afridi’s spirited spell of 2 for 19 from his four overs, backed by Sohail Tanvir with two for 36 and Umar Akmal’s three good catches.
Shoaib Malek and Afridi almost pulled off a victory for Pakistan.
Malek played a stupendous knock of 75 runs off 55 balls with eight boundaries and two sixes.
Boom Boom Afridi set the stadium on fire through an electrifying knock of 29 runs off 20 balls with three sixes.
Together they put on 63 runs in 6.2 overs, but that wasn’t enough for the team to cross the target.
England won the toss and elected to bat for the third time in a row. They continued to experiment by bringing back Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan, while Eoin Morgan also returned to the captain the team. Pakistan included Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan and Aamir Yamin.
It was a sensational start with Yamin, making his T20 debut, trapping opener Jason Roy leg before with the first ball of the match.
He became the first Pakistani to take a wicket with his first ball on debut and joined the elite list of 11 players who have achieved the feat.
Vince, on two, would have followed had Sohail Tanvir managed to hold on to the return catch to his second delivery of the second over.
Joe Root joined Vince and pulled Irfan, who was introduced in the fourth over, for a six over mid-wicket. He also picked the gaps beautifully for a few boundaries and in the first five overs England were 46 for 1.
Afridi introduced himself in the sixth over and hit Root’s leg stump with his fifth ball to end the 48-run partnership in 5.4 overs.
With the very next ball, he had Moeen caught and bowled for a duck. The stadium erupted and Afridi acknowledged the cheers of the crowd with his trademark arms-raised-fingers-pointing-towards-the-sky celebration.
Unaffected by the fall of wickets, Morgan lofted Anwar Ali for a six over long on.
Malek, with the first ball of his first over, clean bowled Morgan for 15. It was a beautiful delivery that pitched on the leg, beat his defence, and hit the middle and off.
At the end of a sensational ten overs, England were 73 for 4.
In the 11th over, the dangerous Jos Buttler was run out for 2 while taking a cheeky single to a direct hit by Rizwan from behind square.
With half the side back in the pavilion for 75 runs, Sam Billings lasted just eight balls to score seven runs.
Hitting across the line, he top edged Anwar Ali and Umar Akmal, running back, took a superb well-judged catch at mid-wicket.
England reached the 100-run mark only in the 15th over due to the sudden fall of wickets.
Woakes and Vince took charge and put on 60 runs in 6.4 overs before Woakes, who hit his career best T20 score of 37, holed out to Akmal at long-on off Tanvir.
Vince followed, brilliantly caught on the mid-wicket boundary by Akmal for 46 to the last-but-one ball of the innings.
Pakistan got off to a disastrous start with experienced opener Ahmad Shehzad, going for a mighty heave off David Willey, getting clean bowled off the fourth ball of the first over for 4.
The last ball of the over saw Mohammad Hafeez return to the pavilion for a duck, adding one more to the list of run outs in the series.
Once again it was a comical one with both batsmen ending up at the same end.
Rafatullah Mohmand didn’t last long, falling leg before for a duck to Willey in the third over.
Malek and Mohammad Rizwan pulled Pakistan out of trouble. Rizwan hit Jordan for three boundaries in the sixth over but Adil Rashid pulled off a fine return catch to end his 23-ball knock at 24 runs.
At the half way mark, Pakistan were 55 for 4, needing exactly 100 from 60 balls. Malek stepped out to hit Rashid for a six over long on. Umar Akmal pulled Pakistan down by slog sweeping Moeen to Jordan, who took a tumbling catch at mid-wicket, for 4.
Half the side back in the pavilion for 65 runs, Afridi walked in to a huge applause.
He was repeatedly beaten by Rashid but also hit him for six over long on. The skipper then hit Moeen for a huge six to mid-wicket and also whacked a full toss over long on for another maximum.
Malek reached his fourth half century in T20 Internationals from 39 balls.
With 51 runs needed off the last five overs, Afridi hit Willey out of the ground over mid-wicket. Pakistan fans danced in joy. The pair put on 63 runs in 6.2 overs when Afridi miss-timed a sweep and got bowled by Willey for 29.
Eighteen needed off last two overs, and Malek made it 10 runs from the last with some powerful shots.
Sohail Tanvir lifted Woakes for a straight six, but Malek was caught at long on by Billings when Pakistan needed two runs off two balls.
Tanvir could manage only a single, ending the match in a tie.
In the Super Over eliminator that followed, Afridi and Akmal faced Jordan. He bowled a sensational over with Pakistan getting only three runs.
Jordan also clean bowled Akmal with the last ball.
Afridi bowled the Super Over with England needing four runs to win.
Off the first three balls Morgan and Buttler could get only one run, off the fourth they took a single and ran two off the fifth ball to win the match and pull the curtain down on a keenly fought Twenty20 series.
