Harry Brook and Mark Wood inspire excellent England to dominant win

Wood took his first international wicket in six months, while Brook made his first half century for England

Nick Friend | 23/09/2022 at 19:05

Karachi: England 221-3, Pakistan 158-8 - England win by 63 runs

England retook the lead in their seven-match T20I series against Pakistan thanks to a fabulous maiden half century from Harry Brook.

The Yorkshireman, playing in his eighth international match, passed fifty for the first time, doing so in such stylish manner that it was impossible to believe he was a 23-year-old novice.

He smashed an unbeaten 81 in just 35 deliveries, dominating an unbroken 139-run partnership with Ben Duckett, who also played superbly in a knock that will only cement his reputation as one of England's leading players of spin.

The left-hander swept and reverse-swept, manoeuvring the field at will, while Brook mostly dealt in more traditional stroke-play. He lofted Usman Qadir over long-on for six, check-drove him over extra cover, punched Shahnawaz Dawani through the off-side and hooked Haris Rauf imperiously over deep square leg.

By the time he had come to the crease, Phil Salt and Will Jacks – both products of Guildford Cricket Club – had been and gone. Salt miscued to mid-off, while Jacks – on his international debut after a fine summer – looked in superb touch on his way to 40 in just 22 balls, highlighting England's freakish strength in white-ball batting depth. He eventually picked out deep midwicket to curtail an encouraging start.

Dawid Malan also holed out off Qadir, who bowled without much control but picked up two of the three wickets to fall. Dawani, on the other hand, conceded 62 runs in four wicketless overs as England's next generation of power-hitters made their case.

Brook and Duckett added 69 runs in the last five overs of England's innings and put on their country's highest-ever fourth-wicket stand in the format. Babar Azam, Pakistan's captain, didn't know where to look.

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^{Harry Brook made his first international fifty (Asif Hassan/AFP via Getty Images)}

In reply, Mark Wood announced his return from injury with an almighty bang, bowling with searing pace to have Babar's upper cut caught on the third-man boundary by Reece Topley – his first international wicket since Kraigg Brathwaite six months ago. In his next over, the same raw speed forced Haider Ali to fend a catch to square leg. He was clocked at 97mph on his return.

In between, Mohammad Rizwan – Babar's partner in their 203-run record partnership on Thursday – had been castled by Topley, who fared far better than fellow left-armer David Willey managed in the first two matches of the series.

Sam Curran got in on the act shortly afterwards, forcing Iftikhar Ahmed to flap a surprise bouncer straight up into the air.

A semi-recovery ensued between Shan Masood and Khushdil Shah, but that was ended shortly after the midway point of the innings when the latter sliced an Adil Rashid googly to Brook at long off.

Thereafter, the game was over as a contest; Mohammad Nawaz laboured for 19, Moeen Ali ran out Qadir and Rauf gave Wood a much-deserved third wicket of the evening.

Masood ended proceedings unbeaten on 65, but Pakistan were well beaten, with England's bowlers excellent in defence of a mammoth total laid up by a group of young batters, who have made their mark.