England's Alex Hales, right, celebrates after scoring fifty runs during the first T20 cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)Pakistan vs England 1st T20 Match Highlights: England made a triumphant return to Pakistan after 17 years with a six-wicket win in the first Twenty20 on Tuesday. Debutant left-arm fast bowler Luke Wood grabbed 3-24 to help limit Pakistan to 158-7 after captain Moeen Ali won the toss in his country of roots and elected to field. Alex Hales, in his return to England colors after more than three years, smashed 53 off 40 balls and led the visitors to 160-4 in 19.2 overs.
Pakistan couldn’t capitalize on Mohammad Rizwan (68) and captain Babar Azam’s (31) aggressive opening stand of 85 off 57 balls before the middle-order capitulated against Wood in the death overs.
Pakistan (Playing XI): Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Haider Ali, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Qadir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani
England (Playing XI): Alex Hales, Philip Salt(w), Dawid Malan, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali(c), Sam Curran, David Willey, Luke Wood, Adil Rashid, Richard Gleeson
Follow PAK vs ENG 1st T20 Highlights.
Pakistan
158/7 (20.0)England
160/4 (19.2)England beat Pakistan by 6 wickets
England spinners Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid were brilliant in keeping Pakistan in line after a super start from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
In the run chase, both Hales and Brook weathered Pakistan's spinners comfortably before measuring their run chase well. Clinical performance.
May not be the most fluent, but a match-winning innings from Alex Hales of 53 of 40 balls. His first international match in three years no less.
He mishits the shot after making the score, and gets out to a running catch from Babar.
Skipper Moeen Ali walks out to get the job done for England now.
Brook pulls a short one for four to start the over. Later in the over, Hales crunches one through extra cover to get another boundary.
Brook then goes inside out to get a stroke over long off for four.
Smart and effective batting taking the match away from Pakistan.
Brook gets multiple boundaries, one off an improvisational sweep over deep fine leg, and one off an outside edge. Hales smashes one down the ground to get 15 off the over. They will back themselves against the fast bowlers.
Babar may look for a part-time spinner like Iftikhar now, as England play out the spin overs and keep the run rate below 9.
Babar going for wickets - hopefully of Hales first - by exhausting the spinners' overs immediately. England's batsmen look to whether the storm and keep the run rate below 8.
Qadir and Nawaz both coming around the wicket.
Duckett goes for the reverse sweep again, and Qadir gets through him to get an LBW. The Brit reviews and loses. ENG 87-3 in 11 overs.
Qadir floats one way outside off which Hales attempts to pull, the ball was straight into the hands of the debutant, who missed an easy catch. Duckett reverse sweeps him for four on the very next ball.
Halfway through the run chase and England are running at exactly the required 8-an-over run rate. Hales and Duckett now well set in the crease but will need to take more risks to make sure the run rate does not rise.
Will Pakistan's spinners - Nawaz and Qadir - make the difference for them? Babar will need to use them wisely.
ENG 80-2 in 10 overs.
He has been out of the international game for some time, but the maturity and composure of his innings and the level of his strokeplay have been brilliant. Four boundaries, each of them on the off side, and timed and placed to perfection. ENG 63-2 in 8 overs.
Qadir gets smashed for SIX but doesn't waver, flights another slower one which Malan hits back to the bowler. Well taken, and bowled. ENG 56-2 in 7 overs.
Looking for the gaps and putting the loose balls away. England's batting lineup have been as smart as they have been aggressive in the powerplay so far. ENG 43-1 in 5 overs.
Crunches the short ball to go over deep square leg, gets caught in the deep with a brilliant catch from Haider Ali. Shahnawaz Dahani, and the Karachi faithful, erupt in celebration. ENG 19-1 in 2.3 overs.
Babar Azam goes for the attack from the get-go, looking for wickets by putting in spinner Mohammad Nawaz into the second over. Economical from the left-armer, leaking just one run.
Naseem Shah bowling with plenty of pace and swing but hardly any line. Leaks a four from Salt, and then five wides.
Alex Hales, restarting his international career, scorches an off-drive between cover and extra cover next.
ENG 14-0 after the first over.
Solid death bowling from Wood who goes 3-24 in his first international match.
PAK finish the first innings 158-7.
The batsman hit a huge six on the back foot, before going for another one over mid-wicket and getting caught by Duckett in the deep.
Dispatches a Sam Curran full toss for a huge SIX!
Extraordinary ball to bowl over Nawaz. Nipped back as the left-hander looked to play the ball over mid-wicket. PAK 137-5 in 17.1 overs.
On his back foot, picks a full-length ball and sends it straight over Willey's head for SIX! Pakistan needed that, and a bit more now.
From Babar to Rizwan to Iftikhar, none of Pakistan's batting lineup could pick Rashid's googly. The leg spinner had enough variation to keep them on their toes. Ends an excellent spell with 2-27.
PAK 125-4 in 16 overs, in need of a big finish now.
Shan Masood top edges a catch to Gleeson looking for the reverse sweep. Rashid been the pick of the bunch for England today. Spinners do the damage in Karachi. The Brits are back in it now.
The opener got his side off to a great start, but there is pressure on Pakistan to finish with a flourish now.
The batsman did not get going all day, decided to take on Sam Curran's pace after some tricky overs of spin, and got caught in the deep by Willey. Shan Masood to replace him, and he will need to play the role of the aggressor if Pakistan are to post a big total.
Intriguing contest taking place between the pair.
Rizwan smashes the spinner for SIX by clearing his front leg and going against the spin over mid-wicket. Rashid responds by disguising a slower ball that went well outside off.
England need Rizwan's wicket, and Rashid's final over may be key.
PAK 104-1 in 12 overs.
The leg spinner ripped in a quicker one that spun under Babar's nose, who could not pick up the ball at all. Ali would know that his own spell and Rashid's will be crucial in bringing Pakistan's strong start to a halt.
PAK 87-1 in 10 overs.
Rashid draws first blood as bowls out the Pakistan skipper with a brilliant delivery. England's spinning options will need to do the trick for them today if they are to curb Pakistan to a sub 160 score.
That six also marked Rizwan's 50. Off 31 balls.
The opener charges down the wicket and middles it for SIX!! Pakistan's openers do not seem like they feel any pressure at the moment.
Moeen Ali persisted with pace for the first 7 overs but Adil Rashid is now into the attack. Decent over for England after plenty of pressure. And now the pressure of strike rate is on Rizwan and Babar. PAK 70-0 in 8 overs.
Babar Azam and Rizwan give their team the perfect start in the powerplay. Babar timing the ball brilliantly and Rizwan's shot placement and aggression has put England under big pressure.
Seven boundaries in the innings so far, and each of them coming through great strokeplay. They have made great use of the new ball coming into the bat nicely.
PAK 51-0 in 6 overs.
Moeen Ali calls upon Luke Wood in the fourth over, who seems to be getting much more out of the wicket. A slightly fuller ball sees an LBW shout against Rizwan, but the ball pitched outside leg. Solid over from the debutant. Pak 36-0 in 4 overs.
Curran, struggling to move the ball like Willey, bangs one short which Babar pulls to the leg side for his second boundary. The crowd is in raptures, they are up for this one, and Pakistan's skipper looks like he is too.
The following over sees Rizwan hit back-to-back boundaries, playing Willey on either side of the park. Babar then joins the party with a perfectly-timed cover drive for four.
England may look for an early bowling change.
PAK 32-0 after 3 overs.
Babar and Rizwan showing their composure and familiarity with the batting conditions in Karachi, where the conditions are batting-friendly and the new ball is coming into the bat nicely.
Their understanding of each other is evident, picking up plenty of quick singles in the opening over.
Willey not seeing much swing. PAK 9-0 after 1 over.
Babar and Rizwan look to give Pakistan the perfect start in the powerplay. Action kicks off in Karachi with David Willey looking to get swing out of the new ball.
Phil Salt (wk), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali (c), Sam Curran, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood, Richard Gleeson
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Haider Ali, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Qadir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani
England's first-time captain Moeen Ali wins the toss under the lights in Karachi. Opts to bowl first. Completed team news to follow.
The Karachi wicket is a batting-friendly one that offers a high-scoring entertainment thanks to the shorter boundaries. A total over 190 is considered to be a good total on this ground. Therefore, the captain winning the toss will look to bowl first.
Moeen Ali returns to his roots while England also tour to Pakistan for the first time since 2005.
Masood was called up to Pakistan's T20I squad for the first time for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Australia next month, but the southpaw could be making his debut sooner
Mohammad Rizwan (1943) is 57 away from becoming the 4th player to score 2,000 runs for Pakistan in men’s T20Is; if Rizwan reaches this milestone in his next innings (52nd*), he will be tied with compatriot Babar Azam as the fastest player to do so.
Alex Hales, Phil Salt (wk), Dawid Malan, Harry Brook, Will Jacks, Moeen Ali (C), Sam Curran, Chris Wokaes, Adil Rashid, Richard Gleeson, Mark Wood/Reece Topley
Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani/Mohammad Hasnain
Pakistan and England will be locking horns in the first T20I at the National Stadium in Karachi on Tuesday, September 20. The seven-match series will be ideal preparation for both sides ahead of the next month's T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.