England vs Pakistan 3rd T20I abandoned due to heavy rain

The two teams will next face each other at the Kennington Oval in London for the 4th and final T20I with England leading the series 1-0, courtesy of their win in the second match in Edgbaston.

In that match, England skipper Jos Buttler shepherded the innings with a 51-ball 84 after weathering the new ball threat from Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Amir. Buttler completed 3000 T20 runs during the knock and also equalled Eoin Morgan as the most-capped Englishman in the format.

With cameos from Will Jacks and Jonny Bairstow around Buttler, England threatened to set up a high total before a collapse sent them from 144 for two to 183 for seven in five overs. While Afridi and Amir nailed their late spells and eventually accounted for five wickets, England blunted leg-spinner Shadab Khan, who conceded 0/55 in his four overs.

In reply, Pakistan openers Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub fell cheaply within the Powerplay before Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman pulled them out of imminent trouble. The duo added 53 runs for the third wicket before Moeen Ali trapped Babar leg-before on 32. While Fakhar offered a semblance of a counter with a streak of fours and sixes, a mounting asking rate and constant wickets at the other end cast his downfall on 45 off 21 deliveries.

Pakistan were 100 for six before Iftikhar Ahmed and Imad Wasim showed signs of a late resurgence with a string of big hits. However, Reece Topley snapped up the hard-hitting Iftikhar before the rest of the lower-order followed. Returning from a year-long injury layoff, Jofra Archer picked up two wickets to round up England’s comprehensive win.

After the 4th match, both teams will be headed to the T20 World Cup with England taking on Scotland in their first match on June 4 while Pakistan will open the tournament on June 6 against hosts USA.