England lose opening T20 vs Pakistan
England succumbed to Umar Gul in Thursday night’s eight-run defeat, as Graeme Swann’s occupation-very best bowling once more proved in vain against Pakistan in Dubai.
Gul took three crucial wickets to undermine England’s chase of 144 for six, to assist his team go one- up with two to perform.
Background, for that reason, repeated itself for Swann, whose 3 for 13 bettered by 1 run his earlier finest – which came in defeat against these opponents on this extremely ground practically two years ago.
Swann’s eventful evening, in front of the largest crowd of England’s tour to date, started with a glaring drop to reprieve Asad Shafiq on nine.
But he returned to very first of all see off the exact same batsman, with a clumsy and marginal run-out, and then take 3 wickets for one particular run in eight balls.
A double-wicket maiden featured in the off-spinner’s individual finest however it was to be Gul (three for 18), who eventually had the most telling influence.
Kevin Pietersen, in certain, and Craig Kieswetter got England’s chase off to a handy start in an opening stand of 48.
Pietersen took 13 runs from Junaid Khan’s initial more than but was then responsible for five of the dots in the second, from Gul.
He looked in the mood, nonetheless, with 33 from 21 balls – and had just clubbed Shahid Afridi more than extended-off for 6 when he did not get quite adequate on the subsequent ball, in the leg-spinner’s initial over, and was extremely nicely held by Shafiq practically on the rope at midwicket.
Kieswetter was doubly culpable, getting out in the extremely following over – to an embarrassing shot, backing so far away to Mohammad Hafeez that he could not reach a ball which bowled him leg-stump.
Considerably, as a result, depended on Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan, who had to commence with just a single run between them.
Morgan missed a drive at Hafeez and lost his leg-stump but teamed up with Bopara, who top-scored with 39 and dominated another valuable stand with Jonny Bairstow.
Bopara showed no signs of the back injury which ruled him out of England’s fourth successive one-day international win right here on Tuesday, following his consecutive half-centuries in that format.
He scampered 4 twos, and hit a straight six, in one particular over from Junaid. But just when it seemed he and Bairstow may possibly finish the occupation, Bopara accomplished a ‘Kieswetter’ in reverse, going so far across outdoors off that he did not cover leg-stump and duly lost it to Gul.
Pakistan’s premier seamer then saw off Jos Buttler, caught at short fine-leg, and had Samit Patel lbw to a yorker initial ball.
Swann stopped the hat-trick, but could not tilt the match back in England’s favour. He had induced a substantial mid-innings wobble for Pakistan, before Shoaib Malik (39) and Misbah-ul-Haq kept the hosts’ total competitive.
Immediately after Stuart Broad won the toss, the captain himself did most to quell an explosive begin – with a 1st spell of two overs for 5 runs, in powerplay.
But debutant opener Awais Zia had already fulfilled his short, clubbing a 6 and a four in his 18 from 12 balls, before mistiming a slower ball from Steven Finn straight to mid-off.
Amount three Shafiq had his second of fortune, dropped by Swann off Jade Dernbach operating back from mid-off, as he and Hafeez more than doubled the score.
Swann then earned his initial second of redemption when he somehow managed to dislodge the bails – it was not evident with which portion of his physique and whether it was in speak to with the ball – to comprehensive the run-out of Shafiq.
That started a run of four wickets for the addition of eight runs – Swann getting a hand, or some thing similar in the very first – and then the bowler for the rest.
Hafeez picked out the guy in the leg-side deep Afridi chipped straight to midwicket. Then Umar Akmal went for a duck as Dernbach, obviously holding no grudges for Swann’s drop, took a fine tumbling catch at extended-off.
Shoaib and Misbah therefore had to bat sensibly, and fared admirably in a stand of 71 – which integrated a blatant Swann misfield at quick third-guy to concede an extra boundary in the last more than, off a grimacing Dernbach.
By the finish of the night, he was not the only one with a scowl on his encounter in the England camp.