T20 World Cup: England beat Pakistan in final warm-up game
- Published
England leg-spinner Adil Rashid went wicketless again, meaning he has only taken six wickets in 10 Twenty20 matches this winter
ICC Men's T20 World Cup warm-up, Brisbane |
Pakistan 160-8 (19 overs): Masood 39 (22); Willey 2-22 |
England 163-4 (14.4 overs): Brook 45* (24), Stokes 36 (18); M Wasim 2-16 |
England won by six wickets (DLS method) |
Ben Stokes showed glimpses of a return to form as England thrashed Pakistan by six wickets in their final warm-up game before the T20 World Cup.
The England Test captain smashed 36 off 18 balls, including three sixes, as England chased 161 with 26 balls to spare in a 19-over game in Brisbane.
Liam Livingstone also returned from an ankle injury suffered in The Hundred, hitting 28 off 16 and taking 1-8.
England face Afghanistan in their first group game on Saturday (12:00 BST).
With both sides able to use as many of their 15-man squad as they wished, England used eight bowlers, with Stokes (1-25) again given the new ball, while Sam Curran (1-14), Chris Jordan (1-36) and David Willey (2-22) were also in the wickets.
With Pakistan opting to not use Babar Azam or Mohammed Rizwan as batters, Shan Masood top-scored at the top of the order with 39 off 22.
Phil Salt was given the opportunity to open alongside Alex Hales, but was bowled by the returning Shaheen Afridi for one, while Hales only managed nine.
Harry Brook again impressed in the middle order, smacking an unbeaten 45 off 24 balls, including four sixes, with the Yorkshire batter and Sam Curran (33 not out off 14) seeing England over the line.
Elsewhere, there was a six-run win for India over Australia, as Aaron Finch's side, who were chasing 186, lost six wickets in 12 balls at the end of their innings to fall short.
It included Mohammed Shami taking 3-4 in his only over.
There was a return to form for Finch though, who smashed 76 off 54 balls before being bowled by Harshal Patel.
South Africa also thrashed New Zealand, with the Kiwis bowled out for just 98. The Proteas then took just 11.2 overs to chase the target, with Rilee Rossouw making an unbeaten 54.
Afghanistan prepared for England with an emphatic 62-run win over Bangladesh, with captain Mohammad Nabi hitting 41 off 17 balls.
