Riding on half-centuries from skipper Eoin Morgan and Dawid Malan, England defeated Pakistan in the second T20I by five wickets and took an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Chasing a mammoth target of 196 runs, openers Tom Banton and Jonny Bairstow played significant cameos before the two southpaws showcased their blitzes. Malan (54) paced his knock to perfection and remained unbeaten till the end while Morgan (66) unleashed mayhem in the middle overs and took the game away from Babar Azam and Co. Below, we’ll look at the stat highlights of the nail-biting match. Pakistan vs England 2nd T20I Highlights.

Earlier in the game, England won the toss and opted to bowl first. The decision didn’t seem to be quite fruitful as Babar Azam, and Fakhar Zaman got Pakistan off to a flying start. The duo made great utilization of the field restrictions and added 72 runs for the first wicket. Mohammed Hafeez came out to bat following Zaman’s wicket and didn’t let the scoring rate go down. The 39-year old scored 69 runs off mere 35 balls and helped the visitors post a mammoth score of 195/4. However, the score didn’t prove to be enough as the Three Lions crossed the line with five wickets in hand. Mohammad Hafeez Registers Quick-Fire Half-Century During England vs Pakistan 2nd T20I 2020, Netizens Laud the Veteran Batsman.

# England beat Pakistan by five wickets in 1st T20I match at Old Trafford Ground in Manchester

# With the series opener being washed out, England have taken an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

# Mohammad Amir played his 50th match in T20 Internationals.

# Pakistan skipper Babar Azam scored his 14th T20I half-century.

# Mohammad Hafeez registered his 12th fifty in T20Is.

# Hafeez Also Becomes second Pakistan batsman after Shoaib Malik to score 2000 T20I runs.

# England captain Eoin Morgan scored his 14th T20I half-century.

# Dawid Malan scored his 6th half-century in T20Is.

With this, England have taken an inevitable 1-0 lead and will like to clinch the third and last match to win the series. On the other hand, the next encounter will be a do-or-die encounter for Babar Azam and Co, and they would like to end the tour on a high.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 30, 2020 10:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).