Mark Wood and Jofra Archer ( Source : Getty Images )
England captain Jos Buttler showered praise on the pace bowling duo of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood after their match-winning spells that helped them secure a 2-0 series victory over Pakistan in the fourth and final T20I at The Oval on Thursday.
Opting to bowl first, England’s pacers picked early wickets, as the visitors were struggling at 86/5 under 11 overs, despite a brisk start from openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Archer got the first breakthrough as he dismissed the dangerous Azam, while Wood got rid of Azam Khan and Naseem Shah.
“The performance really (pleased me the most). We worked hard in the training, there is a good feeling in the squad. They (Pakistan) got off to a good start but the guys managed to peg it back to a par score. It would have been great to have two more games. We have some good experience. Few guys have been playing the IPL as well, so not short of cricket. Selection is always difficult, which is a nice place to be. Good to see Mark Wood and Jofra Archer operate together on a pitch that had something in it,” Buttler said at the post-match press conference.
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It was the spin pair of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali who then tightened the screws in the middle overs. Rashid’s leg-spin fetched him two wickets, while Moeen picked just one wicket of Fakhar Zaman. A late cameo from Usman Khan took the Men in Green’s total to 157.
In the chase, the hosts started well in the powerplay with Phil Salt and Buttler putting on 82 in just 6.2 overs. Salt’s 45 off 24 balls and Buttler’s 39 off 21 gave their side the perfect platform to chase down the target with ease. Despite a brief fightback from Haris Rauf who picked up three wickets, the Three Lions won the game by seven wickets and 27 balls to spare.
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This series win over Pakistan marks the end of England’s T20I assignments before they head to the West Indies for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024. They have been drawn in Group B alongside Australia, Oman, Scotland, and Namibia and will be hoping to carry their red-hot form into the tournament.