LONDON: In their final competitive match before starting the defence of their Twenty20 World Cup title, reigning champions England defeated Pakistan by seven wickets at the Oval on Thursday thanks to a superb all-around performance.
England emerged victorious in a four-match Twenty20 series, winning 2-0 as matches at Cardiff and Headingley ended without a ball being bowled.
England started their chase of a modest total of 158 with a blazing partnership of 82 between Phil Salt (45) and captain Jos Buttler (39).
With 27 balls remaining, Harry Brook hit a six to bring England to 158-6 victory.
Earlier, with the tourists well-positioned at 59-0 in the sixth over of their innings, England held Pakistan to 157. However, they collapsed to 86-5 when skipper Babar Azam was removed after making a solid 36.
After hitting two consecutive fours off Jofra Archer, Azam was caught off the express quick with the following ball at slip.
Fellow spinner Liam Livingstone hit two in an over, while Adil Rashid finished with 2-27 from his maximum four overs. Mark Wood, a fast bowler, also claimed two wickets with well-placed bouncers.
Usman Khan somewhat undid the damage after a short rain break, scoring a quick 38 to put Pakistan at 126-6.
