England concluded their preparations for the T20 World Cup with a commanding seven-wicket victory over Pakistan at The Oval. This confidence-boosting performance set the stage for their title defense as England showcased a superb all-round bowling effort to dismiss Pakistan for 157, and then comfortably chased down the target in just 15.3 overs.
Phil Salt and captain Jos Buttler provided a blistering start, adding 82 runs in just 6.2 overs, scoring 45 and 39 respectively. Jonny Bairstow then sealed the victory with an unbeaten 28. Earlier, Mark Wood made a strong return to the team, delivering a rapid opening spell alongside Jofra Archer and finishing with impressive figures of 2-35 in his first appearance since March.
Despite a solid start from Pakistan openers Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan, who countered England’s aggressive opening, the dismissal of Babar by Archer on the final ball of the powerplay triggered a collapse. Pakistan went from 59-0 to 82-5. Adil Rashid contributed with his typically effective leg-spin, taking 2-27, while Liam Livingstone added 2-17, including the crucial wicket of Usman Khan for 38, as England maintained pressure with regular wickets.
With the momentum of this 2-0 series win, England now heads to the Caribbean. Their next challenge is the opening match of their World Cup defense against Scotland in Barbados on Tuesday.
