Sports
Babar, Rizwan power Pakistan to a thumping win
Babar Azam’s second T20I hundred (110* off 66, 11 fours and 5 sixes) came in a record stand with Mohammad Rizwan (88* off 51, 5 fours and 4 sixes) as Pakistan prevailed in a high-scoring encounter at the National Stadium in Karachi on Thursday (September 22) in the second T20I to square the series against England. Moeen Ali’s 23-ball fifty headlined a collective batting show from England as they posted an imposing 199 for 5. But the hosts sprinted to the target, winning with three deliveries to spare thanks to the Babar-Rizwan stand, which was the first double century partnership for Pakistan who became the first team to achieve success in a 200-run chase with all wickets intact.
Pakistan got off to a good start in the chase as the openers raised a half-century stand inside the powerplay. Rizwan set the tone with two fours in the opening over off David Willey while Babar struck two fours off Curran and a boundary off Luke Wood after a slow start. Liam Dawson, coming in for Richard Gleeson, started with an economical over and should have also picked up the wicket of Rizwan but for a back-pedalling Hales to put down the catch in the sixth over. Rizwan went on to hit a six off the spinner, clearing the fence for the second time inside the first six having played a pick-up shot off Willey earlier for a maximum. By the time the powerplay ended, Babar had struck five fours while Rizwan had scored two fours apart from the sixes as Pakistan raced to 59/0.
In comparison to England at the halfway stage of the innings, Pakistan were seven ahead and had all their wickets intact. Rizwan was also reprieved by a stumping chance gone a begging as Salt failed to grab the ball when Adil Rashid went past the outside edge. Rizwan went on to bring up a 30-ball fifty – his 18th T20I half-century – while Babar, who was on 38 off 31 at that stage, got to fifty off 39 deliveries. Both batters then dealt in sixes, making most of the conditions that had improved for the batters in the second innings, as they took Pakistan to 151/0 after 15 overs, bringing down the equation to 48 off 30.
When Babar had reached his fifty in the 12th over, Rizwan had scored three more runs than the Pakistan skipper. But it was a Babar show after that as he raced past his opening partner. Babar took only 22 deliveries from 50-100, blasting four sixes and three fours in his second fifty as he became the first Pakistan player to score two centuries in T20Is. Pakistan needed 20 off the last two overs and they coasted to the target, with Babar adding two more fours to his tally, including the winning four, while Rizwan also struck a boundary.
Alex Hales powered England’s positive start while Phil Salt also managed a couple of boundaries. Barring a three-run opening over from Mohammad Hasnain – who replaced Naseem Shah – England found the fence in every other over in the powerplay. There were a couple of sixes too – with Salt just about clearing the long-off boundary in a Mohammad Nawaz over while Hales edged a Hasnain delivery over the third-man fence. Hales and Salt weren’t always in control of their shots but they managed four fours between them in a quick-fire 42-run stand. Pakistan, however, came back well in the final over of the powerplay as Hales was bowled by Shahnawaz Dahani attempting a pull while Dawid Malan was bowled around his legs. Ben Duckett ended the over with a four as England managed 48/2 in the first six overs.
On a wicket that was on the slower side, with balls keeping low, Pakistan tried to strangle the England batters with spin at both ends. But Duckett was well-equipped to handle them, bringing out the sweeps, reverse-sweep and scoop to ensure regular boundaries. Salt, at the other end, slowed down, not adding to his boundary count after the powerplay. He eventually fell to Haris Rauf, cleaned up for a 27-ball 30. Duckett extended his tally of fours to seven before becoming Nawaz’s only wicket as he deflected a sweep onto the stumps ending a fine 22-ball knock for 43 runs. Harry Brook hit a six off Dahani while Moeen took the attack to Usman Qadir, scoring a four and two sixes in the 15th as England collected 85 runs at a scoring rate of more than 9 in the middle overs.
Pakistan ended up conceding 66 runs in the last five overs. Hasnain was taken for 18 runs in the 16th over which included a four apiece for Moeen and Brook, with the latter also going inside out over extra cover for a six. Brook also top-edged a Rauf delivery over fine leg for another maximum before an attempted reverse scoop led to his downfall. Moeen struck two fours off Dahani on either side of a catch put down by Kushdil Shah in the 18th over while Sam Curran showcased some cheeky shot-making walking across to a Rauf delivery and lapping it over short fine leg for a four. Rauf, though, gave away only 30 runs off his four overs to finish as the most economical of the Pakistan bowlers but the rest weren’t as effective. Hasnain was the most expensive of the lot, conceding 51 runs – including 19 in the final over – as Moeen finished off the innings with two sixes to get to his sixth T20I fifty, which ended up in a losing cause.
Brief scores:
England 199/5 in 20 overs (Moeen Ali 55*, Ben Duckett 43; Haris Rauf 2-30) lost to Pakistan 203/0 in 19.3 overs (Babar Azam 110*, Mohammad Rizwan 88*) by 10 wickets.
(Cricbuzz)
[Cricbuzz]
Why did David Miller refuse a single off the penultimate delivery with Delhi Capitals needing 2 off 2? It’ll be spoken of for a while, but not inside the Gujarat Titans change room. Because Prasidh Krishna bowled a nerveless slower bouncer off the final delivery that Miller missed, and Jos Buttler then nailed a direct hit with an underarm throw from behind the stumps to run out Kuldeep Yadav, clinching a dramatic first win for GT in IPL 2026.
Despite being adjudged run out on the field, Miller wasn’t in the mood to concede defeat, and reviewed the final ball for a possible wide. But when replays confirmed what he had perhaps known, he was crestfallen. Equally distraught in the dugout was K L Rahul, whose 52-ball 92 set the game up for DC but for one run.
It was GT’s first win of the tournament and the first loss for DC after starting the campaign with two wins in a row.
Thirty-six needed off 12. A bruised finger that didn’t make it easy for him to grip the bat had forced Miller to retire hurt with DC needing 81 off 42. But when Tristan Stubbs was run-out in the 17th over, Miller returned hoping to play second fiddle to Rahul. Instead, he was now expected to deliver a box-office hit with Rahul nicking behind off a full Mohammed Siraj delivery two balls later.
Miller nearly delivered what was expected, as he went 6, 4, 6 off Siraj, repeatedly peppering the short leg-side boundary. At the other end, Vipraj Nigam also ramped four off a short delivery to bring the equation down to a manageable 13 off the final over.
Prasidh was tasked to bowl the final over. His three overs prior to that had been walloped for 41; Rahul, his state mate, had climbed into him earlier in the night. But all that would’ve been forgiven if Prasidh delivered a gun final over. That GT could only have four fielders out due to a slow over rate added to his challenge. And he nearly succumbed.
Nigam made room and swung cleanly to hit the first ball to the long-off fence, but a rush of blood had him swipe the second delivery to Shubman Gill at mid-off. With DC now needing nine off four, Kuldeep gently deflected his first ball to deep third to leave the chase in Miller’s hands.
With the equation down to 8 off 3, Prasidh bowled a slot-ball that Miller walloped over long-off. But with two needed, Miller inexplicably refused a single to take it all upon himself to finish the deal. He couldn’t connect on the final ball, and Prasidh belted a roar. GT had pulled one from under DC’s rug in dramatic circumstances.
After scores of 1 and 0 in his first two games, Rahul announced himself with a 29-ball half-century that was as pleasing as they come for large parts. It was also one that didn’t have the baggage of him playing run-accumulator, like he has tended to in the past while opening the batting. This Rahul was fun, free and fearless and he helped DC overcome a few roadblocks along the way, like when they lost two wickets in two deliveries to Rashid Khan at the halfway mark.
Rahul was particularly menacing against the fast bowlers, and it began with a wristy flick that he sent way back over deep square off Kagiso Rabada. The early jitters out of the way – if he even had some inkling of them – he batted like a man possessed, fearlessly climbing into length balls from Prasidh over cover, and slapping disdainfully over point.
He is good, but where is the Rashid of old, they asked. Turns out he hadn’t gone anywhere. After he conceded just nine in his first two with DC rampant, he returned to dismiss Nitish Rana in his dramatic third over, the 10th of the innings. Having been given out lbw earlier, only for Rana to overturn the decision through DRS, he was out a few balls later when he miscued a googly to Sai Sudharsan at long-off. This was Rana’s third sub-20 score of the season.
This brought the in-form Sameer Rizvi to the middle, and he lasted all of one delivery as Rashid snuck through his inside-edge with a ripping googly to briefly elicit jitters in the DC camp. This is when Miller entered, before briefly exiting with seven overs left. But in the same over, when Rashid had Axar Patel slice one to Glenn Phillips running back from cover, GT started to have an opening.
On any other night, Rashid’s spell would have cracked open the game. The fact that DC were still in it despite these wickets was down to Rahul. It needed the skilful Siraj to dismiss him with DC needing 45 off three overs. By then, the pressure was telling.
That GT were eventually able to get over the line was down to their run cushion, made possible thanks to half-centuries from Jos Buttler, Gill and Washington Sundar. Buttler looked unshackled, hitting four sixes off his first 15 deliveries en route a bruising half-century, while Gill played himself in and then allayed fears of neck spasms during his takedown of Kuldeep with the slog sweep. Then Washington, promoted to No. 4, struck his maiden IPL fifty to shore up the innings.
Even so, GT managed just 49 off the last five. On another day, this may have proved to be costly. It didn’t on Wednesday, and for that, they have Rashid to thank.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 210 for 4 in 20 overs (Sai Sudarshan 12, Shubman Gill 70, Jos Buttler 52, Washington Sundar 55, Glenn Phillips 14*; Mukesh Kumar 2-55, Lungi Ngidi 1-24, Kuldeep Yadav 1-42 ) beat Delhi Capitals 209 for 8 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 41, KL Rahul 92, David Miller 41*, Vipraj Nigam 12; Mohammed Siraj 1-42, Rashid Khan 3-17, Prasidh Krishna 2-52) by one run
[Cricinfo]
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