ENG vs PAK: Pakistan's Defeat a Wake-Up Call, England Thrashes Them Ahead of T20 World Cup- Video
The Pakistani team went on a tour of England for this series to prepare for the World Cup but their hopes were washed away in every way. In the 2 matches of the series, England thrashed them and the remaining 2 matches were washed away by the weather of England and destroyed Pakistan's preparations.
England fast bowler Jofra Archer dismissed Pakistani captain Babar Azam.
Image Credit source: AFP
With the hope of success in the T20 World Cup 2024, the Pakistan Cricket Board again made Babar Azam the captain of the team. He returned only 5 months after being removed from the captaincy but the situation is still the same as before. First, the series draw with second-rate New Zealand, then some kind of win against Ireland, and now the crushing defeat against England has exposed the preparations of the Pakistani team. In the last T20 match played in London, England defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets and won the series 2-0.
Pakistan's hopes were dashed in England
Just before the World Cup, the Pakistani team was on a tour of Ireland and England to take stock of its preparations. As soon as it reached Ireland, it had to face a crushing defeat in the first match, but after that, the team made a comeback and somehow won the next 2 matches. Its condition was worse in England, where not only the team was thrashed, but its hopes of strong preparations were also dashed.
Absolute savagery from Mark Wood 🤯#EnglandCricket | #ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/zrrksjNF95
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 30, 2024
2 matches of the four-match series were completely washed out due to rain, which affected the preparations of Pakistan and England. Still, the defending T20 World Cup champion England won the remaining 2 matches and showed that it is ready to win the title again. The last match of the series played at the Oval in London was the best example of this, where first England's bowlers made Pakistan's condition worse and then the batsmen beat them badly and registered an easy win.
Batting battered, bowling collapsed
Pakistan had a good start, however. The opening pair of captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan returned and both added 59 runs within the powerplay. Babar in particular looked more aggressive and was seen collecting boundaries openly. Jofra Archer took Babar's wicket on the last ball of the powerplay and from here the fall started. Pakistan lost 5 wickets within just 27 runs. If there was no 40-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Usman Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed, Pakistan could have been dealt with cheaply. Eventually, the team collapsed for 157 runs. Pakistan had no answer to the fast pace of Mark Wood and the spin of Adil Rashid-Liam Livingstone.
Right out the middle of the bat 🥹#EnglandCricket | #ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/Tvldxd3btx
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 30, 2024
For England, the opening pair of Phil Salt and captain Jos Buttler had ensured an easy victory by scoring 82 runs in 6.2 overs. In between, fast bowler Haris Rauf raised some hopes of a comeback by taking three wickets but Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook made an explosive partnership of 46 runs in 27 balls and led the team to victory in just 15.3 overs. Apart from Rauf, no other Pakistani bowler could take a wicket.