Cricket: England Secure Record Victory Over Pakistan

England Alex Hales hit a superb half-century and Harry Brook made an unbeaten 42 as they beat Pakistan in front of their fans by six wickets in their Twenty20 meeting. The win is England’s first victory in the Asian country in 17 years.

Luke Wood also claimed 3-24 as England took a 1-0 lead in the seven-match series which serve as a build-up for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.

In reaction, England captain Moeen Ali said: “Brilliant performance. We pulled the game back really well. A lot of praise to the bowlers who set it up nicely for our batters. Crucial wickets around the 10th over made a difference. It wasn’t an easy wicket for the new batters. Luke Wood and Adil Rashid were excellent.”

Meanwhile Babar Azam the Pakistani captain acknowledged the need for his batters to do better in the remainder of the series.

“The way we played the first Powerplay was great. After 10 overs, there was a swing of momentum, which you have to credit England for. We didn’t have enough big partnerships. Our batters need to step up,” Azam said.