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Pakistan vs England 2015, 3rd T20I at Sharjah: James Vince’s steadying knock, Shoaib Malik’s valiant top-score, Chris Jordan’s constricting super over and other highlights

Led by Shoaib Malik, Pakistan fought back an early collapse to get a tie, but were edged out in the super over.

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Chris Jordan's super over heroics crushed Pakistan's hopes for a consolatory victory © Getty Images
Chris Jordan’s (in focus) super over heroics crushed Pakistan’s hopes for a consolatory victory © Getty Images

The third and final Twenty20 International (T20I) between England and Pakistan was an incredibly thrilling affair with the visitors managing to triumph in the super over. The match was a fine conclusion to England’s tour but left Pakistan winless in the T20I leg of the series. The match saw many ups and downs including the routine Pakistan middle order slump. However Pakistan’s stalwarts Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi revived the innings and took Pakistan to a brink of a turnaround victory but England held their nerve and secured a tie. The resulting super-over was rather anti-climatic. It was entirely one-sided in nature with Chris Jordan restricting Pakistan to three runs. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: Pakistan vs England 2015, 3rd T20I at Sharjah

England suffer early blow: Pakistan’s defeated spirits would have been resurrected in the very first ball of the day as Jason Roy was dismissed for a golden duck. Aamer Yamin on debut struck with his first ball getting Roy leg before. The ball was on a good length and nipped back in striking Roy on the pad and the umpire ruled him out. LIVE CRICKET UPDATES: Pakistan vs England 2015, 3rd T20I at Sharjah

Joe Root stitches reassuring partnership with James Vince: After fall of the early wicket, England needed a good strong partnership. Joe Root and James Vince provided just that, Root scored freely while Vince took his time. In the 48-run partnership, Root contributed 32 runs before getting dismissed. Vince’s role was seemingly to hold one end up steady as his various partners attempted to accelerate. ALSO READ: England win super over to clean sweep T20 series against Pakistan

Vince bats almost through the innings: Vince was cautious right from the start and as a result of frequent wickets never really got the license to play freely. After Root’s dismissal, Moeen Ali was the second man in the England innings to get out for a golden duck after Roy, so Vince was further tied down. Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler and Sam Billing all got out cheaply. Vince finally found support in Chris Woakes. Woakes smashed 37 off 24 balls while Vince scored 46 off 45 before getting dismissed in the penultimate delivery of the innings. His effort took England to a moderately challenging 154.

Pakistan shaky start: David Willey has built a reputation to take early wickets in the course of this series and it was no different for him today. He struck in his first over with the wicket of Ahmed Shehzad who stepped down the track to him. In the third over he removed Rafatullah Mohmand cheaply. After Shehzad’s dismissal in the first over, a familiar foe revisited Pakistan in the first over itself. Mohammad Hafeez and Mohmand were involved in a terrible mix up which yet again saw two Pakistani batsmen on the same side of the crease and Hafeez was the man run out.

Shoaib Malik’s fight: Malik has been scripting some new achievements for himself in this series. On this occasion he took it upon himself to try and rescue his team and played in a sublime, composed manner. He scored quite freely and received brief support from Mohammad Rizwan and then was witness from the other end to a Afridi blitz that changed the game for Pakistan. However after Afridi fell for a 20-ball 29 to Willey, it was again upon Malik to take Pakistan home. His knock went into the final over with him scoring 75 off 54 balls. Unfortunately for him and his team, he was dismissed with Pakistan needing two of two. In the next ball, Sohail Tanvir set of for a single of a bye to tie the game and take it into the super over. Malik’s knock was the top score in the game comfortably and also his personal highest in the format.

Chris Jordan steels super over show: Jordan bowled a fantastic over in the deciding one over. He conceded only one run off the bat while the batsmen scampered for two other runs of leg byes. Umar Akmal tried to get cheeky and hit the ramp shot of the final ball but Jordan was going to have none of that, he slighted his pace a little and got the ball to tail and it beat Akmal and crashed into the leg stump. England had only four to win and did so with little trouble even though Afridi bowled well.

(Rishad D’Souza, a reporter with CricketCountry, gave up hopes of playing Test cricket after a poor gully-cricket career. He now reports on the sport. You can follow @RDcric on Twitter)

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