ISLAMABAD, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan defeated England by three runs in a thrilling Twenty20 cricket match on Sunday night in Karachi.
Pakistan leveled the seven-match series 2-2 after winning the nail-biting contest at the National Cricket Stadium.
England captain Moeen Ali won the toss and elected to field, with Pakistan openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan making a brisk start with 52 runs in the first six overs. Both players continued their streak of quick runs but Azam was caught out with the team on 97 runs after 11.5 overs.
Shan Masood replaced Azam but he failed to continue the pace of the Pakistani innings and got out after making 21 runs off 19 balls after slowing down the run rate.
Pakistan made 166 runs in 20 overs at the loss of four wickets, roughly 20 runs short of their planned target.
Chasing that target, England faced early trouble when they lost three quick wickets for 14 runs inside only two overs.
Ben Duckett, Harry Brook and Moeen Ali shared quick partnerships but consistent wicket losses gave Pakistan the upper hand. However, a firebrand knock of 34 off 17 balls by Liam Dawson brought England near the victory line, but the English batsmen could not resist Pakistan's bowling and went all out at 163.
Both sides will play their next three Twenty20 matches in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, starting from Wednesday. ■
