(REUTERS) – Jonny Bairstow and Steven Finn inspired England to a 38-run victory over Pakistan in Dubai yesterday to level the three-match series of Twenty20 internationals at 1-1. England chose to bat first under lights and chalked up 150 for seven with the 22-year-old Bairstow clubbing an unbeaten 60 from 46 balls.
Man-of-the-match Bairstow, son of the late former England wicketkeeper David, belted five fours and two sixes.
Opener Craig Kieswetter also chipped in with 31 off 24 deliveries while Pakistan seamer Umar Gul took two for 31 and spinner Saeed Ajmal produced an economical spell of one for 20 in four overs.
Pakistan started their run chase badly, slumping to two for two after losing Mohammad Hafeez for a duck and Asad Shafiq for one.
Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals and Shahid Afridi top-scored with 25 in 23 balls as Pakistan were bowled out for 112 in 18.2 overs.
England captain Stuart Broad and spinner Graeme Swann took two wickets apiece but improving young paceman Finn stole the show by returning figures of three for 30 and running out Ajmal for a duck with a direct hit from close range.
The third and final match will be in Abu Dhabi tomorrow.
ENGLAND innings
K. Pietersen c Gul b Ajmal 17
C. Kieswetter c Gul b Afridi 31
R. Bopara lbw b Gul 1
E. Morgan lbw b Hafeez 9
J. Bairstow not out 60
S. Patel run-out 13
J. Buttler b Gul 7
S. Broad b Aizaz Cheema 2
G. Swann not out 2
Extras: (lb-5, w-3) 8
Total: (seven wickets, 20 overs) 150
Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-38, 3-49, 4-79, 5-118, 6-132, 7-137.
Bowling: Mohammad Hafeez 4-0-25-1 (w-1), Aizaz Cheema 4-0-31-1 (w-2), Saeed Ajmal 4-0-20-1, Umar Gul 4-0-31-2, Shahid Afridi 3-0-28-1, Shoaib Malik 1-0-10-0.
PAKISTAN innings
M. Hafeez c Pietersen b Finn 0
A. Zia c Dernbach b Broad 6
A. Shafiq c & b Dernbach 1
U. Akmal c Morgan b Finn 19
S. Malik c Bairstow b Swann 12
Misbah-ul-Haq c Bairstow b Swann 13
S. Afridi c Morgan b Broad 25
H. Azam c Buttler b Bopara 21
U. Gul c Kieswetter b Finn 10
S. Ajmal run-out 0
A. Cheema not out 0
Extras: (w-4, nb-1) 5
Total: (all out, 18.2 overs) 112
Fall of wickets 1-0, 2-2, 3-30, 4-32, 5-50, 6-74, 7-98, 8-111, 9-111.
Bowling: Finn 4-0-30-3, Dernbach 3-0-13-1 (w-4), Broad 3.2-0-12-2, Swann 4-0-17-2, Bopara 3-0-23-1 (nb-1), Patel 1-0-17-0.
Bairstow and Finn help England square Pakistan T20I series
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