Pakistan's brilliant bowlers defended their territory by the skin of their teeth to bowl England out and level up the series at 2-2 right at the death.
It was a direct hit run out from super sub Mohammad Haris from close on the leg side that secured the win in the last over with Reece Topley stranded diving for the crease. The three run win was a classic from the Pakistani playbook when the game might have seemed to have slipped through their fingers, but they can find a bit of magic from somewhere.
And it was no less than the home team deserved on a topsy-turvy night of drama when Liam Dawson came oh so close to stealing the win for England with a sensational knock of his own. With 33 runs required from the final three overs and just three wickets left, the game looked up until Dawson took Mohammad Hasnain’s over apart for 24 as he found the boundary five times.
And yet with the game at his mercy and nine needed, enter the pace of Haris Rauf to send down an almighty 19th over to remove Dawson caught at mid wicket and Olly Stone, bowled in successive balls and turn the game once more.
It was left to Topley and Adil Rashid to try and sneak the four runs needed at the last, but the fielders were swarming all over them and Mohammed Wasim’s bowling was accurate enough to create the run out chance. The crowd erupted as they had done when Dawson departed for his 34 from 17 balls that looked like it might be enough to ruin not only Hasnain’s night but another full house.
Instead, it meant Pakistan somehow managed to defend 166, the lowest winning total batting first at the national stadium in Karachi and the first time in a whopping 2065 days that England had failed to chase a total as low as that.
“It was an amazing game of cricket, it went both ways and the crowd was electric,” said skipper Moeen Ali. “We felt we should have chased that down. But we lost a lot of wickets at the top.
“The way that Daws batted was outstanding and I’m pleased for him but sad that he couldn’t get us over the line. With nine runs needed you feel like you should win the game but they bowled really well and got over the line.”
The two teams will move on to Lahore now for the final three matches with Jos Buttler set to return from injury at the business end of the seven match series. Earlier, another typically high quality opening stand between Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam set Pakistan up for a giant score with 82 coming from the first 10 overs.
But rather than speeding up, the innings slowed down a touch as the ball got older and the spinners Rashid and Dawson put the choke on things. England were three down inside the first two overs in their reply, but Ben Duckett and Harry Brook got them going. It was still too stiff a task though.
