Thursday night’s second T20I saw Pakistan chase down a 200-run mark with 10 wickets in hand and three balls remaining thanks to the opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who tore apart England’s bowing attack. The pair also stitched together a record 203-run partnership during the game at Karachi’s National Stadium, which is the greatest score in a T20I chase. Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi made a scathing jab at the openers’ detractors following the performances of the two players. “I think it is time to get rid of Kaptaan @babarazam258 and @iMRizwanPak. Itne selfish players. Agar sahi se khelte to match 15 overs me finish hojana chahye tha. Ye akhri over tak le gaye. Let’s make this a movement. Nahi.” tweeted Afridi. “Absolutely proud of this amazing Pakistani team,” he added.
Although Babar and Rizwan have long been criticised for their strike rate, former Pakistan pacer Aaqib Javed recently asserted that having Babar and Mohammad in significant chases could be harmful for Pakistan because of their similarities as players and their propensity to let the required run rate rise too high. Regarding the encounter on Thursday, Moeen Ali’s unbeaten 55 and Ben Duckett’s 43 helped England score 199/5 in 20 overs. Pakistan’s response saw them go home with 3 balls remaining. The victory also ends Pakistan’s streak of three straight defeats that began with the Asia Cup. In the third T20I of the seven-match series, Pakistan and England will face off.