Spinners shine as England beat Pakistan to level T20 series 1-1

Tuesday, 20 July 2021 00:56 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

REUTERS: England's stand-in skipper Jos Buttler top-scored with 59 before their spinners ripped through the Pakistan batting unit to seal a 45-run win in the second Twenty20 International and level the series at 1-1 on Sunday.

Chasing 201 runs to win at Headingley, Pakistan's openers made a bright start with the bat but lost their way after England fast bowler Saqib Mahmood dismissed Captain Babar Azam (22) in the sixth over.

England tightened their grip in the middle overs as leg-spinner Adil Rashid removed Mohammad Rizwan and Sohaib Maqsood in his second spell.

Off-spinner Moeen Ali removed Mohammad Hafeez and Fakhar Zaman cheaply as Pakistan were left tottering at 95-5.

Azam Khan was stumped off Matt Parkinson's leg-break, before Mahmood returned to rip through the lower order and restrict the tourists to 155-9 in 20 overs.

Both teams now head to Manchester for the series decider on Tuesday.