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A glorious late-blooming Moeen Ali simply failed to lead England to victory at Old Trafford as Pakistan won a final thriller by five runs to draw 1-1 in the three-game T20 series. Suddenly, the magic returned, moondust bubbling in his palms.
After the game, Moeen’s relief was obvious, despite the loss, the management skills of Eoin Morgan, who had encouraged him to raise the batting order and asked him to do the team talk, of course.
“It gives me a lot of confidence,” Moeen said. “I haven’t played well for a long time and my captain thinks highly of me, that means a lot to me.
“It has been very difficult. It’s more of a mental matter. I had to change my mental state before this game, to try to play like it was my first games for England again. I know what an enthusiastic kid I was when I first played … Even today it was such a battle … I guess you lose. “
England, unchanged, won the draw and chased down Pakistan’s respectable 190-by-four, decorated for a fantasy debut from Haider Ali and a grayer cruelty from Mohammad Hafeez.
With the light roller applied, England’s innings had lasted all three balls before Shaheen Shah Afridi threw Jonny Bairstow for a duck with a 90 mph yorker coming from the darkness of Statham’s end, his stump flying, bails flashing Like scolding like those of a teacher. Red pen.
He greeted entrant Tom Banton with the words, “I didn’t see him.” It’s not a comfort, exactly, but Banton isn’t the comfort arm type. He sniffed and hit Imad Wasim for four of three consecutive balls.
But the hiccups continued. Dawid Malan swept Imad into the ink, Eoin Morgan knocked out by a combination of Banton’s stone wall and a lift-and-launch beam from Babar Azam. Then Banton was caught leg-first by Haris Rauf, whose broad-legged appeal reminded of Shoaib Akhtar in his pomp.
Sam Billings and Moeen fought over runs, until Moeen hit Shaheen with a carefree six for a ball out of the slot, which went over the middle. Billings had a wild swing and was caught in the third man, but Moeen charged. Three 6s on 4s followed Shadab Khan but, running out of time and teammates, he was caught and thrown by Wahab Riaz and the tail could not find the fizz to finish the job.
Haider was unmoved on his international debut. At just 19 years old, he started playing hardball cricket in 2016 and made his first-class debut last September.
With a puckered mustache visible through his helmet, he leapt into the crease after Moeen had thrown Fakhar Zaman with enough zipper to lift the bails into the air, his first window of the summer. Haider looked at Moeen for a ball, then bent his front knee and hit him flying for six seconds.
Ian Bishop had previously compared Haider to Babar and Babar showed his hand in the next over by toasting Saqib Mahmood for three consecutive fours, but it was thrown for 21. Haider was unfazed.
He continued, with a wrist six on the leg side, graceful offside and fast singles. Adil Rashid’s first ball slipped behind the square; a six soared over Billings stranded off the deep edge of the mid-zone. When he was finally brought down by Chris Jordan, he smirked when Hafeez slapped him on the head as he passed the non-forward side. Another star of Pakistan’s endless production line.
Hafeez, who may be 20 years older but smacking his lips at this England bowling alley, went 86 unbeaten with 52 balls to become the oldest player to make 50 consecutive T20s. Full release? Pah! He hit Tom Curran over the stands. Legspin? Dinner time. Rashid was beaten shortly before the executive boxes of the pavilion.
And so, after what must seem like a lifetime in the biobubble, Pakistan flies home with a sweet and final victory and the thanks of cricket fans around the world for cheering up this strangest English summer with their particular style of Wonderful.
