Pakistan vs England: ‘We killed the game straight away,’ says Moeen Ali after eight-wicket win – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Moeen Ali was a happy captain after his side thrashed Pakistan in the 6^th T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday.

English openers came out all guns blazing, chasing a target of 170 which was expected to be tricky on a two-paced wicket. But the Phil Sault-led assault scripted an England win in 14.3 overs with 33 deliveries to be spared. Moeen Ali was delighted that his side killed the competition straight away.

“Very happy, the way we batted, in particular, was outstanding. We killed the game straight away, shows that if we stick to the processes, we can win. The seamers were very good today. There was also no slogging today, just some good shots off-side and leg-side by our batters,” Moeen Ali said at the post-match presentation.

The series has been levelled once again and the final match will decide the winner on Sunday.

“It’s been a good series, 3-3 heading into the final and all to play for,” the English stand-in skipper added.

There were also some positive signs on Jos Buttler’s return as Moeen Ali spilled the beans in a cinematic manner. “He’s training a lot more now, we don’t know though if we may risk him with the World Cup so close. There are games to play in Australia as well. But you never know, he may turn up day after.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam heaped praise on the manner in which Salt batted in the powerplay. He also said that 170 seemed to be a good score especially after the hosts lost a few early wickets.

“After losing a couple of early wickets, we thought 170 was a good score. Maybe we were 10 runs or so short, but the way Salt batted in the first 4-5 overs, they took the game away from us.”

However, the biggest concern for Pakistan remains their middle order which has been consistently failing. And Babar didn’t hesitate to confess the fact.

“The way they used the powerplay was the turnaround today. I think the middle-order needs to step up, they need to take responsibility. As openers, we need to build partnerships to not put the pressure on them,” Babar added.

The two teams will play the final match on Sunday with the series on line.

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