Sports Desk
LAHORE: Pakistan thump England by five runs in the fifth T20I at Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.
Debutant Aamer Jamal was handed the responsibility to defend 15 in the last over and he did so against the dangerous Moeen Ali.
Resultantly, the hosts have taken a 3-2 lead in the seven-match series.
In the first innings, England fast bowler Mark Wood’s express pace helped the tourists bowl out Pakistan for a below-par 145 in the fifth T20 international in Lahore on Wednesday.
Wood — playing only his second international since undergoing elbow surgery — took 3-20 after the home team were sent in to bat at Gaddafi Stadium. Wood’s fellow pacers Sam Curran (2-23) and David Willey (2-23) also bowled with hostility as Pakistan were dismissed in 19 overs.
Amid a middle-order collapse from 42-1 which saw Pakistan lose six wickets off 48 balls for just 58 runs — opener Mohammad Rizwan held on with a defiant 46-ball 63.
Wood dismissed Pakistan skipper Babar Azam in the third over for nine before David Willey removed Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed to derail Pakistan.
Mohammad Nawaz, for a duck, and Shadab Khan fell to injudicious runouts to leave Pakistan tottering at 100-7.
Rizwan completed his 20th T20I half- century before hitting Curran straight into the hands of Adil Rashid at deep square-leg in the 18th over.
Rizwan struck three sixes and two fours.
The seven-match series is tied at 2-2 after the first four matches were played in Karachi.
The remaining matches are also in Lahore (September 30 and October 2).
Playing XIs:
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Haider Ali, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Aamir Jamal, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf
England: Phil Salt (wk), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali (c), Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, David Willey
