Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Bairstow, Finn help England level Pak T20 series

February 26, 2012 08:41 IST

Jonny Bairstow and Steven Finn inspired England to a 38-run victory over Pakistan in Dubai on Saturday to level the three-match series of Twenty20 internationals at 1-1.

England chose to bat first under lights and chalked up 150 for seven with the 22-year-old Bairstow clubbing an unbeaten 60 in 46 balls.

- Scorecard

Man of the match Bairstow, son of the late former England wicketkeeper David, belted five fours and two sixes.

Opener Craig Kieswetter also chipped in with 31 off 24 deliveries while Pakistan seamer Umar Gul took two for 31 and spinner Saeed Ajmal produced an economical spell of one for 20 in four overs.

Pakistan started their run chase badly, slumping to two for two after losing Mohammad Hafeez for a duck and Asad Shafiq for one.

Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals and Shahid Afridi top-scored with 25 in 23 balls as Pakistan were bowled out for 112 in 18.2 overs.

England captain Stuart Broad and spinner Graeme Swann took two wickets apiece but improving young paceman Finn stole the show by returning figures of three for 30 and running out Ajmal for a duck with a direct hit from close range.

The third and final match will be in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.