England v Pakistan, 2016
Wisden's review of the only Twenty20 International, England v Pakistan, 2016
Julian Guyer
15-Apr-2017
At Manchester, September 7 (floodlit). Pakistan won by nine wickets. Pakistan 2pts. Toss: England. Twenty20 international debuts: Babar Azam, Hasan Ali.
With Old Trafford transformed into a sea of green and white, Pakistan rounded off their tour in style, winning with 31 balls to spare in Sarfraz Ahmed's first match as Twenty20 captain. England, fielding the XI that had lost the World Twenty20 final in April, were restricted to 135 for seven after racing to 56 without loss in the seventh over. Imad Wasim removed both openers, and Pakistan's quicks - led by Wahab Riaz - adjusted their line to get England hitting towards Old Trafford's longer, square boundaries: they managed just one four in the final ten overs, which yielded only 58 runs. Morgan later suggested the arrival of dew in the brief innings break had improved batting conditions, but England's bowling was poor. Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif, who put on 107 for the first wicket, shared 20 boundaries, each greeted by a joyous wall of sound in the closest thing to a home crowd many present-day Pakistan players had experienced. The mood changed slightly when a Pakistan fan evaded the stewards and ran on to the field in an attempt to get a selfie with Morgan. The match finished with England security manager Reg Dickason - whose decision to give the upcoming Bangladesh tour the go-ahead on safety grounds would not persuade Morgan or Hales to make the trip - shepherding the players off the field.
Man of the Match: Wahab Riaz
With Old Trafford transformed into a sea of green and white, Pakistan rounded off their tour in style, winning with 31 balls to spare in Sarfraz Ahmed's first match as Twenty20 captain. England, fielding the XI that had lost the World Twenty20 final in April, were restricted to 135 for seven after racing to 56 without loss in the seventh over. Imad Wasim removed both openers, and Pakistan's quicks - led by Wahab Riaz - adjusted their line to get England hitting towards Old Trafford's longer, square boundaries: they managed just one four in the final ten overs, which yielded only 58 runs. Morgan later suggested the arrival of dew in the brief innings break had improved batting conditions, but England's bowling was poor. Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif, who put on 107 for the first wicket, shared 20 boundaries, each greeted by a joyous wall of sound in the closest thing to a home crowd many present-day Pakistan players had experienced. The mood changed slightly when a Pakistan fan evaded the stewards and ran on to the field in an attempt to get a selfie with Morgan. The match finished with England security manager Reg Dickason - whose decision to give the upcoming Bangladesh tour the go-ahead on safety grounds would not persuade Morgan or Hales to make the trip - shepherding the players off the field.
Man of the Match: Wahab Riaz