LAHORE, Oct 2: England ended their first tour of Pakistan in 17 years on a triumphant note, easing to a 67-run victory in the Twenty20 series decider.
An entertaining series had tilted this way and that to leave the sides locked at 3-3 heading into the finale at Lahore, but Dawid Malan’s 78 not out set the table for a decisive result in England’s favour.
Malan came to the party at the perfect time after a low-key series, sharing an unbeaten 108-run stand with Harry Brook to push the total up to an imposing 209 for three.
Pakistan’s pursuit was undone inside two overs, with star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan producing a rare double failure, and they limped to an underwhelming 142 for eight.
England decided not to risk captain Jos Buttler or pace bowler Mark Wood, both preserved for the World Cup later this month, but Chris Woakes’ return to fitness stepped up a notch as he claimed three wickets for 26 runs. (Agencies)
