ABU DHABI: England Lions registered a dramatic 2-wicket victory over Pakistan Shaheens at the Saeed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday to complete a clean sweep of the three-match unofficial T20I series.
The visitors were rattled by a sensational unbeaten run from their skipper Jordan Cox.
After being asked to bat first, Pakistan Shaheens posted a match total of 162-6 in their allotted 20 overs, recovering impressively after a poor start.
The initial shock came from Saqib Mahmood who ducked skipper Shamil Hussain off the second ball.
Mas Sadaq was brilliant for the Shaheens, anchoring the innings with a 36-ball 53. His innings featured four fours and two sixes before Scott Currie’s second wicket.
Currie struck again to dismiss Samir Minhas cheaply for 10, while Abdul Samad scored 11 off one ball before being dismissed by James Coles.
Coles then picked up his second wicket by dismissing Hasan Nawaz for 16 off 18 balls. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rohail Nasir fell to Currie for a duck in the second ball.
A late flourish from the lower order fueled the total. Saad Masood remained unbeaten on 29 off 22 balls with 4 fours.
He was well supported by Shahid Aziz who scored 30 off 18 balls with 2 fours and two sixes.
For the Lions, Scott Currie picked the bowlers, returning impressive figures of 3/27 from his three overs. James Coles took 2 wickets and Saqib Mahmood took one wicket.
In return, the England Lions’ chase was masterfully orchestrated by their skipper. Jordan Cox played a match-winning innings, unbeaten on 75 off 37 balls.
His knock was a display of clean hitting that included five fours and six sixes and he calmly saw his side over the line in the last over.
Cox found excellent support from Dan Mousley, who scored a steady 28 off 23 balls, and Ben McKinney, who scored 20 off 18 balls.
Despite the loss, Pakistan Shaheens bowlers battled hard and took the match to the wire. Mas Sadaq and Saad Masood were top bowlers with two wickets each in their four overs.
Sufyan Mukeem, Mohammad Salman and Shahid Aziz took a wicket each, but England were 163-8 in 19.3 overs and reached the target with 3 balls to spare.