LAHORE: Fantastic batting by opener Ahmed Shehzad backed up by excellent bowling and fielding helped Pakistan beat the World XI in the last T20 match by 33 runs and wrap up the three-match T20 series 2-1 before a jubilant, packed to capacity crowd at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday night.

Chasing a formidable target of 184, the World XI was restricted to 150 for eight in the stipulated 20 overs. It was in trouble from the outset when opener Tamim Iqbal fell after slamming three boundaries off Imad Wasim in the very first over. He was clean bowled by a low delivery from pacer Usman Shinwari when the World XI score was 15.

In-form opener Hashim Amla, batting with authority. took the total to 41 in just 4.2 overs in partnership with Ben Cutting but then two wickets fell on consecutive balls in pacer Hassan Ali’s first over to reduce the visitors to 41-3.

Cutting was also clean bowled by Hassan off an inside edge for five, and on the very next ball, Amla was run out by Hassan for a 12-ball 21 scored with the help of four boundaries. And when spinner Imad dismissed George Bailey for three, the World XI was tottering at 53 for four.

Their problems were further compounded when skipper Faf du Plessis also left the crease, run out for 13.

Dangerous all-rounder Thisara Perera, who had turned around the second match with his all-round performance, continued in the same mood and punished spinner Shadab Khan with three consecutive sixes and one boundary in the 13th over. Pacer Rumman Raees, however, got rid of him in the 14th over as Babar caught him for a well-played 32 off just 13 balls.

With the addition of another 25 runs, talented David Miller also went out, caught by Babar off Rumman for 32 off 29 balls adorned with one six and two fours. The World XI total stood at 137 for seven at that moment and Babar soon ran out Morne Morkel for just one to make it 139-8 in the 17th over.

Darren Sammy, who was the visitors’ last hope, did flourish for a while to hit a breezy 24 with one six

and two fours off 23 balls but that wasn’t enough and the World XI finished at 150-8 to lose the game by 33 runs.

For Pakistan, pacer Hassan, who did not play the second match due to fitness problem, returned with figures of two for 28. Imad snared one wicket for 34 runs and Usman conceded 26 to claim one wicket.

Shadab remained quite expensive, coneding 34 in three overs without any success.

After the match, both the World XI and the Pakistan team took a round of the ground amid thunderous applause from the crowd.

Earlier, World XI skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss for the second time to put Pakistan in. Inspired by Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed’s strategy to attack with a spinner, Du Plessis also opened with Samuel Badree who had remained successful in the last matches with two wickets.

However, it yielded no fruit as Badree conceded 12 runs in his first over as Pakistan openers scored 28 runs in first three overs and completed 50 in just 5.5 overs with Shehzad looking in fine form with a fluent 27 and Fakhar on 24.

However, Pakistan lost Fakhar in the 8th over, run out by Sammy at the total of 61 in 8.2 overs. Babar Azam, the most successful batsman owwf the series, stepped in and alongwith Ahmed grad ually escalated the run-rate to put on 102 runs for the second-wicket.

But just as Shehzad looked set for a century and had smashed three big consecutive sixes off Ben Cutting in the 18th over, he was run out for a well-played 89 off just 55 balls. The total showed 163-2.

In the eventful last over, Pakistan lost two wickets while scoring just eight runs. At 175, Pakistan

lost Babar, caught by Du Plessis in cover area off Perera. He scored a fine 48 off 31 balls consisting of five boundaries. On the next delivery, Shoaib Malik hit a big six, and again Pakistan lost a wicket when new man Imad Wasim also fell prey to Perera-Du Plessis combination for a duck.

Malik remained unbeaten on 17 off seven balls including two sixes as Pakistan finished the innings at 183 for four.

Perera finished as the only wicket-taker with two for 37.

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN:

Fakhar Zaman run out 27

Ahmed Shehzad run out 89

Babar Azam c du Plessis b Perera 48

Shoaib Malik not out 17

Imad Wasim c du Plessis b Perera 0

Sarfraz Ahmed not out 0

EXTRAS (W-2) 2

TOTAL (for four wkts, 20 overs) 183

FALL OF WKTS: 1-61, 2-163, 3-175, 4-182.

DID NOT BAT: Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Rumman Raees Khan, Usman Khan Shinwari.

BOWLING: Badree 3-0-28-0; Morkel 4-0-42-0; Cutting 2-0-26-0 (1w); Perera 4-0-37-2 (1w); Sammy 4-0-24-0; Imran Tahir 3-0-26-0.

WORLD XI:

Tamim Iqbal b Usman 14

H.M. Amla run out 21

B.C.J. Cutting b Hasan 5

F. du Plessis run out 13

G.J. Bailey b Imad 3

D.A. Miller c Babar b Hasan 32

N.L.T.C. Perera c Babar b Rumman 32

D.J.G. Sammy not out 24

M. Morkel run out 1

S. Badree not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-4) 5

TOTAL (for eight wkts, 20 overs) 150

FALL OF WKTS: 1-15, 2-41, 3-41, 4-53, 5-67, 6-112, 7-137, 8-139.

DID NOT BAT: Imran Tahir.

BOWLING: Imad Wasim 4-0-34-1 (2w); Usman Khan Shinwari 4-0-26-1 (1w); Hasan Ali 4-0-28-2; Rumman Raees Khan 4-1-20-1; Mohammad Nawaz

1-0-7-0; Shadab Khan 3-0-34-0.

RESULT: Pakistan won by 33 runs to win three-match series 2-1.

UMPIRES: Ahsan Raza (Pakistan) and Shozab Raza (Pakistan).

TV UMPIRE: Ahmed Shahab (Pakistan).

MATCH REFEREE: R.B. Richardson (West Indies).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Ahmed Shehzad.

MAN-OF-THE-SERIES: Babar Azam.

FIRST MATCH: Pakistan won by 20 runs.

SECOND MATCH: World XI won by seven wickets.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2017