Pakistan vs England LIVE: Cricket score and result as Phil Salt blasts England to victory in Lahore
England trail seven-match series 3-2 and must beat Pakistan to avoid series defeat
England have no room for manoeuvre if they want to be triumphant in their seven-match T20I series against Pakistan. The hosts won the fifth game on Wednesday evening in a low scoring contest and now lead the series 3-2 with two matches to play.
Batting first, Pakistan set England a reachable target of 147 from their 20 overs but a collapse in the powerplay saw them fall to 31-3 with Alex Hales, Phil Salt and Ben Duckett all going cheaply. England managed to recover thanks to Moeen Ali’s 51 not out but they required 15 runs from the final over and some brilliant death bowling from debutant Aamir Jamal saw them fall eight runs short of victory.
This defeat comes on the back of another failed chase in the fourth T20I where England lost by four runs after Reece Topley ran himself out with five balls left in the innings. The tourists should have won both games and the consequence of these losses mean England must win the final two matches in Lahore to be victorious in the series. Can they get the job done this evening?
Follow all the action from the sixth T20I between Pakistan and England in Lahore:
England 55-0 (3.4), Salt 27, Hales 27, Shadab 0-5 (0.4), England require 170 runs to win
Can Shadab Khan stem the flow of runs for Pakistan? Salt dinks the leg-spinner away for a single before Hales works the ball out to the boundary for two more.
Hales and Salt share another couple of singles.
England 50-0 (3), Salt 26, Hales 23, Wasim 0-17 (1), England require 170 runs to win
Runs! Mohammad Wasim is introduced into the attack and sends a full, straight ball down to Phil Salt who blasts it over the top for a boundary over mid-off!
After Salt gets off strike Wasim bangs one in at Alex Hales who looks to cut it away and misses the ball. He plants his feet for the next delivery and swipes the ball through midwicket for four more!
A quicker short is then pulled over the top of short fine leg and Hales helps himself to another four. The boundaries are flowing in Lahore.
Three in a row! Hales spanks the ball down the ground, beating the fielder and collecting his third boundary of the over! 50 up for England too!
England 33-0 (2), Salt 21, Hales 11, Dahani 0-22 (1), England require 170 runs to win
Oh lovely! Shahnawaz Dahani is given the ball to open up from the other end and starts with a good length delivery that Salt drills down the ground for four runs!
The bowler responds with a short ball down legside that Salt hooks over fine leg for six! Phil Salt is flying out there now.
Hales gets into the action as well! This is a controlled cut through point, Hales finds the gap and the ball flies away for four more!
And again! This time Hales goes up and over extra-over. He smokes it out of the middle of the bat and clears the ropes for another six. Dahani has gone around the park in this over.
22 runs have come from it!
England 11-0 (1), Salt 10, Hales 1, Nawaz 0-11 (1), England require 170 runs to win
Four runs! Phil Salt backs away and slices the first ball of the innings past backward point for the first boundary of the innings. It was very fortunate though as the fielder almost got a finger to it!
There’s nothing fortunate about this shot though. Salt thumps the ball through the gap between midwicket and mid-on and collects four more!
Salt then gets off strike and Alex Hales calmly drives the ball away to long-off to get off the mark as well. Great start for England, 11 runs from the over.
England 0-0 (0), Salt 0, Hales 0, Nawaz 0-0 (0), England require 170 runs to win
England’s reply is about to get underway. Alex Hales and Phil Salt will open the batting with left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz taking the new ball for Pakistan.
End of innings: Pakistan 169-6
Sam Curran was the pick of England’s bowlers picking up 2-26 from his four overs. Reece Topley bowled well too but took some serious tap in the final over which went for 19 runs.
End of innings: Pakistan 169-6
Babar Azam starred for Pakistan once again who set England 170 runs to win this sixth and penultimate T20I. The captain finished with 87* from 59 balls with seven fours and three sixes.
Can England knock this off and bring the series level at 3-3? It’ll be a tricky chase.
Wicket! Mohammad Nawaz 12 (7) c. Brook b. Topley, Pakistan 169-6 (20)
The innings comes to an end with a wicket for Reece Topley. Mohammad Nawaz attempts to launch another one into the crowd but picks out Harry Brook and long off.
Pakistan 169-5 (19.5), Babar 87, Nawaz 12, Topley 0-31 (3.5)
Four runs! Topley attempts a slower ball bouncer but Babar gets inside it and hooks the ball away for four to the fine leg boundary!
Pakistan’s captain is teeing off! The next ball is full and Babar smokes it over long leg for six! A thick edge then brings him another couple. That’s 12 runs from the first three balls.
A better delivery from Topley brings a leg bye but more importantly gets Babar off strike with two balls to go. What can Nawaz do here?
It’s huge! Nawaz rocks back and mullers Topley into the stands! Six more! This is a massive over for Pakistan. 19 from it so far...
Pakistan 150-5 (19), Babar 75, Nawaz 6, Curran 2-26 (4)
Sam Curran will bowl the penultimate over for England. He’s had a great night so far but can he finish it off? Babar takes him for one but a hoick across the line brings Nawaz two runs... Reece Topley does brilliantly on the boundary to keep the ball from crossing the line.
A slower ball from Curran almost does for Nawaz but he manages to drive it for one to get Babar back on strike.
Four runs! A much needed boundary comes for Pakistan and Babar drops back into his crease and pulls the ball away to the deep midwicket boundary.
Pakistan’s 150 comes up as well with a leg bye. One over to go!
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