How can Pakistan win the second T20 against England?

Pakistan are currently leading the three-match T20 series by winning the first game by eight runs. The Green Shirts were able to defend 144 runs on a pitch which was flat and seemingly a 160-170 track. However, they must consider themselves lucky on two
counts; one is Kevin Pietersen and the other is inexperienced English tale.

Pakistan made a solid start but were pegged back in the middle of the innings mainly due to some mindless batting especially by the super-star keeper-batsman, Umer Akmal. Pakistan had lost two quick wickets in the form of Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez
when Mr. Akmal was needed at the wicket with his captain, Misbah-ul-Haq. However, the chap with the lime green gloss on his lips and garbage-full mind, played a short straight to long-off where Jade Dernbach took a difficult-looking easy catch. Perhaps, he
wanted to show Akmal that he played a great short but it was the brilliance in the field that led to his downfall.

Had Pakistan lost that game, i would certainly have put all the blame on Idiot-Akmal. Instead, I am thankful to Kevin Pietersen whose sensible pull short finished straight into the safe hands of Asad Shafique (Sensible from Pakistan’s point of view). A long
hop from Afridi was pulled into the hands of the fielder when it should have been dispatched into the stands just like the delivery before.

Pietersen’s wicket proved to be the turning point as the required rate gradually kept on moving up. Out-of-form Eion Morgan looked threatening but failed to capitalise on his start and saw his stumps uprooted by Hafeez’s turning Yorker. John Bairstow and
Jos Butler failed to read the spin from Saeed Ajmal and so did Graeme Swann.

As a result, Pakistan were able to defend 144 but one thing is assured that England will come back hard at the Pakis in the second T20. The Green Shirts will once again need to pick Pietersen early in order to have any chance of securing an unassailable
lead in the three-match series. The third and final game of the series will be played on Monday, February 27.

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Posted by Taha Habib on Feb 25 2012. Filed under Pakistan, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry