Following England’s 2-1 win over Pakistan in the T20Is, we’ve picked out a team of the series.
Jason Roy
3 matches, 106 runs @ 35.33, SR: 200
A blistering presence in this series, as his strike rate shows. While Jos Buttler struggled for fluency in the final T20I, Roy took responsibility at the other end and delivered a vital half-century.
Mohammad Rizwan
3 matches, 176 runs @ 88, SR: 138.58
Continues to show remarkable consistency at the top of the Pakistan batting line-up. The leading run-scorer in the series, Rizwan has hit 706 T20I runs at an average of 100.85 and strike rate of 140.91 in 2021.
Babar Azam
3 matches, 118 runs @ 39.33, SR: 151.28
Set up Pakistan’s win at Trent Bridge with a 49-ball 85 and opening partnership of 150 with Rizwan.
Jos Buttler
2 matches, 80 runs @ 40, SR: 131.14
Struggled in the final T20I on a sluggish wicket but was crucial in helping England level the series at Headingley with a 39-ball 59.
Liam Livingstone
3 matches, 147 runs @ 49, SR: 216.17
A series Liam Livingstone will never forget. At Trent Bridge, he hit a 42-ball century; at Headingley he sent the ball out of the ground. His two-ball six in the decider was quite something too.
Moeen Ali
3 matches, 38 runs @ 12.66, SR: 165.21 | 3 wickets @ 17, ER: 7.28
A Player-of-the Match performance in the second T20I included a sparkling 16-ball 36 with the bat and two wickets with the ball. A masterful spell followed in the series finale – in returning figures of 1-19, Moeen failed to concede a single boundary in his four overs.
Eoin Morgan
2 matches, 37 runs @ 18.50, SR: 137.03
Pivotal in the decider, smashing 21 from 12 when the match looked as if it was starting to slip from England’s grasp.
Shadab Khan
3 matches, 38 runs @ 38, SR: 140.74 | 5 wickets @ 21.40, ER: 9.72
Superb in the field in the first T20I, Shadab finished as Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in the series and showed his batting chops with a 22-ball 36 in the second T20I.
Shaheen Afridi
3 matches, 4 wickets @ 18.50, ER: 9.06
Player of the Match in the first T20I after nabbing the crucial wickets of Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow in the powerplay.
Adil Rashid
2 matches, 6 wickets @ 10.83, ER: 8.12
Rested for the Trent Bridge run-fest, Rashid returned to the side at Headingley and took a stunning return catch to dismiss Mohammad Rizwan on his way to tidy figures of 2-30. The fun didn’t stop there – a googly to flummox Babar Azam set up a maiden T20I four-for at Old Trafford.
Mohammad Hasnain
3 matches, 4 wickets @ 19.75, ER: 9.87
Particularly impressive in the series opener, conceding just 28 runs from his four overs in a high-scoring thriller.
