Thanks for joining us here at VAVEL UK for this live ball by ball coverage of this T20 International. I've been Tom Simmonds and I hope you can join us again for our coverage of the Bangladesh series.
For England, the focus now switches to Bangladesh as they prepare to tour the subcontinent, with the first ODI starting on the 7th October.
With the ball England were hammered. Their plans to easy for Pakistan to guess, with all bowling far too short and getting nowhere near their best lines. It caps off a mixed tour for Pakistan who fought England throughout the Test series, were played off the park during the ODI series and have now hammered England in this lone T20.
England never looked up to the fight as only Alex Hales made a score of note, his 37 coming from 26 deliveries. After a strong powerplay they capitulated, Wasim spun Pakistan, his 2-17 accounting for the big wickets of Hales and Roy. From there the pacemen took over as Riaz's firey pace was too quick for Morgan, Buttler and Willey. He was well backed up by the variations of Hasan Ali. His excellent debut figures of 2-24 removed Joe Root and Ben Stokes.
A perfect performance here from Pakistan, the bowled excellently as they restricted England to a lowly 135-7. With the hard work done, the batsmen took over and cruised Pakistan to victory. Sharjeel went big as he went to 59 from just 39 deliveries, and he was well backed up by his opening partner Latif who scored 59* from just 42 deliveries.
PAKISTAN WIN BY 9 WICKETS!
FOUR! BABAR FINISHES IT WITH A LOVELY COVER DRIVE!
2, SCORES LEVEL, 1 TO WIN!
JUST A SINGLE, 3 TO WIN!
DOT, 5 TO WIN!
SINGLE, 5 TO WIN!
6 RUNS TO WIN!
OVERS 14: PAK 130-1 Just 6 more needed to win now and the surely final over will be bowled by Liam Plunkett.
FOUR! Cut well from Latif and it races away.
14 REQUIRED NOW
OVERS 13: PAK 122-1 Another big over from Pakistan and they're clearly in a hurry.
FOUR! Just four this time for Latif as the slog sweep lands just short of the rope, successive boundaries. Something England just failed to do.
SIX! FIFTY! The second opener to make fifty and the second opener to do it with a six, takes a couple of steps down and heaves Ali over cow corner.
PAKISTAN NEED 26 FROM 48
OVERS 12: PAK 110-1 This is a slight fightback from England but in reality this game is gone and this is purely damage limitation.
Babar is the new man in.
WICKET! Sharjeel finally falls as he top edges a Rashid googly, Ali takes a good catch and a fantastic innings finally comes to an end. Sharjeel b. Rashid c. Ali 59 (36)
OVERS 11: PAK 107-0 What had looked a great over is completely ruined by that huge Latif hit.
SIX! Ali had been bowling well tonight but he's hammered this time, Latif down on one knee playing with the spin and it's gone a long way.
OVERS 10: PAK 100-0 A very good over from Adil Rashid second time round. However, with Pakistan needing just 3-6 to win from 60 deliveries they can afford these slower overs.
OVERS 9: PAK 98-0 A good over from Ali, he has got his line and lengths right as he concedes just 5 from the over, not much to celebrate for England as the damage has seemingly already been done.
Moeen Ali into the attack now.
OVERS 8: PAK 93-0 Simply too easy for Pakistan now. None of the England attack have it got it right and Pakistan have put them to the sword.
SIX! FIFTY! What a wonderful knock from Sharjeel, he slogs sweeps with the spin and it's huge. Pakistan are absolutlely flying in Manchester tonight.
SIX! Huge from Sharjeel, even the spinner is hitting a short length and Sharjeel has picked it up perfectly.
Adil Rashid into the attack, let's hope the leg-spinner can change England's fortunes.
OVERS 7: PAK 77-0 An improvement from Stokes as he resorts to yorkers. Has a strong whiff of too little too late.
OVERS 6: PAK 73-0 This is a canter now for Pakistan, they've gotten ahead of the rate and now are just driving England into the ground.
FOUR! Powerful sweep from Latif as it evades the diving Hales.
FOUR! Latif uses his feet well and finds the gap well, one bounce four through midwicket.
Joe Root into the attack now, time for spin.
OVERS 5: PAK 63-0 Too short is seemingly the plan for England, every delivery has missed its mark and been hammered away.
SIX! Too short from Stokes and it's heaved all the way into the stand
FOUR! Two in a row now for Sharjeel, too much width and it's cut away with ease.
FOUR! Extremely unlucky from Stokes, one of the better delivers and an inside edge just misses the stumps and runs away.
Ben Stokes comes into the attack now.
OVERS 4: PAK 47-0 England have been fantastic all night, but tonight is certainly one of their off days, 15 from the over.
FOUR! Boundary off the bat this time, a good length but a bit of width gives Sharjeel the room to drive it away to the boundary
FOUR! Four wides now. It's down leg side and too quick for Buttler who can't get it in his gloves.
FOUR! Short from Plunkett and the top edge from the pull flies to the boundary.
Plunkett into the attack now.
OVERS 3: PAK 32-0 Another horror show from England, this is becoming all to easy for Paksitan who are second guessing every England move.
FOUR! Sharjeel is loving this, anything the England bowlers can do, the Pakistan batsmen are ahead of them, this one flicked away.
FOUR! It's Willey this time who gets it wrong, horribly short and Sharjeel loves it, another strong pull.
OVERS 2: PAK 24-0 This game is running away from England, Jordan seemingly has no control over how the ball comes out his hand and Pakistan are loving this. 16 from the over.
FOUR! This is a horror show from Jordan it's been far too short and wide, Latif doesnt miss out and cuts this one away easily.
FOUR! Another hit me ball from Jordan, too short and Latif hammers him away, Pakistan are a level above England so far tonight.
FOUR! Short and wide from Jordan and an ugly delivery is given the treatment from Latif, successive boundaries now.
FOUR! Short from Jordan, Latif is onto it early and hooks him away easily for four.
Chris Jordan will share the new ball with Willey.
OVERS 1: PAK 8-0 Not a good start for Willey, England need wickets but must keep the rate down, Willey has done neither there and Pakistan are away,
FOUR! Successive boundaries for Sharjeel, this was far more purposeful as he slaps Willey over cover for another boundary.
FOUR! First runs for Pakistan and it's a top edge from Sharjeel that flies for four.
Willey will open the bowling.
PAKISTAN 2ND INNINGS
Of course Pakistan will be confident. 136 is nowhere near a big enough score in this era. England will retain some hope however, this Pakistan side does look vulnerable if they lose early wickets.
It's been a poor innings from England, but take nothing a way from Pakistan. Imad Wasim started the decline after an expensive powerplay. Riaz and Ali took over the reins however. The two combined expertly to keep the wickets falling regularly and stop England building any partnerships.
INNINGS END ENGLAND 135-7 PAKISTAN WILL NEED 136 TO WIN
OVERS 20: ENG 135-7 A brilliant death over from Riaz and it caps off a brilliant bowling performance from Pakistan, they totally outfoxed England and this is a below par score from England.
WICKET! David Willey the man to fall now, skying on high into the sky and is caught comfortably. Willey c. Malik b. Riaz 12 (12)
OVERS 19: ENG 130-6 Not enough from England, just 6 from it. You can sense Pakistan's confidence growing with each delivery.
OVERS 18: ENG 124-6 England have just 12 deliveries to save this innings now,you'd imagine a lot of these deliveries will have to end in the stand if the hosts are to get something out of this game.
FOUR! Willey now gets a well needed release. He heaves the leg cutter and it bounces just short of the rope.
OVERS 17: ENG 116-6 England are almost gone here, they are well below a par run-rate and falling wickets have become far too regular.
Willey the new man in.
WICKET! The captain goes this time. Morgan feather an edge and Sarfraz takes the simple catch, this match is almost already over for England. Morgan c. Sarfraz b. Riaz 14 (16)
OVERS 15: ENG 105-5 Ali finishes his spell with fantastic figures of 2-24. He;s unlucky not to get 3 as a top-edge from Morgan just lands short. England really starting to struggle now.
Moeen Ali strides to the crease.
WICKET! Another England batsman has fallen in the deep! Stokes goes this time trying to pull Ali into the stands but Babar Azam holds on well to remove the dangerous all-rounder. Stokes b. Ali c. Azam 4 (7)
OVERS 14: ENG 100-4 England bring up the hundred but someone needs to stand up and take responsibility to take England up to the score they need.
Ben Stokes the new man in, England just needing a bit of stability now.
WICKET! Buttler really was struggling. It's short and wide from Riaz but Buttler has picked out the only man on that boundary. Buttler c. sub b. Riaz 16(15).
OVERS 13: ENG 93-3 Another great over from the debutant plenty of variation keep the runs conceded down to just 4. Buttler appears to be struggling, just can't quite get his scoops away.
OVERS 12: ENG 89-3 An interesting over from England, Wahab Riaz wasn't spectacular but there were a few plays and misses from Buttler. Just 5 runs coming from it.
Wahab Riaz into the attack now, time for some express pace.
OVERS 11: ENG 84-3 These two seemingly content to just knock Wasim around and see him out of the attack. A seemingly clever plan for England as they look to take on the pace instead.
Surprisingly Imad Wasim will bowl out his four overs now.
OVERS 10: ENG 77-3 Bit of pressure building on England but these two are looking very calm and assured at the crease now.
FOUR! Pure timing this from Buttler. Too short from Ali and Buttler rocks back and pulls away for four.
FOUR! An exquisite shot from Buttler, he begins his innings with a perfect drive for four.
Eoin Morgan the new man in.
WICKET! What a period in the game this is for Pakistan, a short ball banged in and Root attempts the upper cut, he can only pick out the fielder however and England are three down. Root b. Ali c. Malik 6 (9)
OVERS 9: ENG 67-2 Pakistan may be regretting their decision to use just the one spinner as Wasim appears to be in total control.
Jos Buttler moves up the order and is the new man in.
WICKET! Another one goes to the spinner, Hales goes for the sweep, misses and Wasim hits middle stump, England really need to learn to play him straight. Hales b. Wasim 37(26)
OVERS 8: ENG 63-1 A good over on debut from Ali, he varied his speed and line well and conceded just 6 runs from the over.
Hassan Ali onto bowl on debut.
OVERS 7: ENG 57-1 Excellent from Imad Wasim, restricting England immediately, after the powerplay, England still have a solid platform to build on.
Joe Root the new man in.
WICKET! Jason Roy trapped LBW by Imad Wasim as he goes for the reverse sweep. Roy LBW Wasim 21 (20)
Wasim is back into the attack now.
OVERS 6: ENG 53-0 It was a slow start but England have owned this powerplay, the final over going for 14 runs.
FOUR! Fifty up for England but there is no way Roy meant this, it's a thick outside eges that loops over the keeper's head and skips away.
FOUR! Successive boundaries for Hales, short again and Hales picks it up again, this time, he cuts it through the gap for four and Hales moves on to 31*
FOUR! Short from Tanvir and it's nowhere near quick enough to trouble Hales and he pulls it in front of the fielder, one bounce four.
OVERS 5: ENG 39-0 A brilliant over from England as these two start to turn the screw on the Pakistan attack, the run rate above seven an over now.
FOUR! A slower ball bouncer from Amir and Hales picks it up quickly and hooks it around the corner for four.
FOUR! A top shot from Roy. He stands tall and smashes Amir back down the ground, this pitch appears to be a beauty.
OVERS 4: ENG 26-0 England are up and running now, Hales and Roy are both starting to find the boundaries and some good running gives England eight from the over.
SIX! That's a huge hit from Jason Roy! He skips down the track and heaves Tanvir over deep mid wicket for six.
OVERS 3: ENG 18-0 A much better over for England this time with 10 runs coming off it. Two powerful hits from Hales getting England up and running.
FOUR! Short and wide again and Hales hammers it through covers for the second boundary of the over.
Wasim, who was hit earlier has now been replaced by the substitute fielder.
FOUR! A real loosener from Amir, it's too short and Hales pulls it away to the boundary. It's the first of this innings.
After that slight injury concern, Wasim is taking out of the attack and replaced by Muhammad Amir.
OVERS 2: ENG 8-0 Another good over from Pakistan as Tanvir's funky action proves too much for England's batsmen. Slight concern here for Imad Wasim, he caught the ball right on the head diving to stop a boundary.
Sohail Tanvir to bowl from the other end.
OVERS 1: ENG 2-0 The decision to open with spin seems to be a good one, it's a tidy over from Wasim with just the two singles coming off it.
Jason Roy and Alex Hales will open the batting with Imad Wasim opening the bowling.
ENGLAND 1ST INNINGS
There's a lot of noise around the ground tonight, Old Trafford is bouncing and Morgan appears confident that the pitch tonight will be a run fest. Looks like cricket's most entertaining format is ready to put on another great show tonight.
Sarfraz Ahmed is making his captaincy debut alongside two full debutants in Babar Azam and Hassan Ali, the night hasn't started great for the new captain however as he admitted he would have wanted to bat if he had won the toss.
For England then the big team news is the absence of the two quickest pacemen, Mark Wood and Tymal Mills whilst Hales, Root and Ali all return to the T20 side having been rested against Sri Lanka earlier in the summer.
Pakistan: Khalid Latif, Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (c,WK), Imad Wasim, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Muhammad Amir, Hassan Ali
England: Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Jos Buttler (WK), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Liam Plunkett, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Adil Rashid
Early indications suggest England will leave out Mark Wood, Sam Billings and Tymal Mills from the team.
Eoin Morgan has won the toss and says he is putting out his strongest possible side. England will bat first.
Here comes the toss...
For Pakistan, it's a chance for them to rebuild following the legendary Shahid Afridi's retirement after a disastrous campaign in the World T20 in February. For Sarfraz Ahmed, it's a chance to prove his maturity and suitability to the role as he captains his first T20 International. While it is Sarfraz's captaincy debut, it's a full debut for Amad Butt. The bowler took 12 wickets in six T20 matches during the recent Pakistan A tour of England and was also part of the Under 19 side that knocked England out during the 2014 U19 World Cup.
England's squad selection appears to suggest more use of the depth available to him from Eoin Morgan. Sam Billings could come back into the squad, whilst Ben Stokes and Mark Wood have both returned from injury in time to secure a place in the squad. In the bowling line-up, it would appear to be a three-way battle to lead the pace attack with Liam Plunkett, Tymal Mills and Mark Wood all called up.
That time it was a three-match series in the neutral ground of the United Arab Emirates, that series ended with England running out 3-0 winners including a spectacular super over victory where Chris Jordan held his nerve expertly. In terms of world rankings, the ICC also appear to be backing an England win. Despite finishing runners-up in the 2016 World T20, England find themselves fifth in the world rankings, although they are still above their touring opponents who currently occupy seventh place.
Recent history between the two sides suggests that it should be an easy win for the home side. The visiting Pakistan team were blown away by the power of England in the longer 50 over format of the game, however, it's well known that Pakistan are a totally different side between the two white ball formats. It was the backend of 2015 when these two sides last clashed in a T20 International series.
Moving onto the ODI series and things were extremely different, Eoin Morgan’s side romping to a convincing 4-1 win, eventually disappointed to lose the final game of the five-match series as it meant they didn’t complete a whitewash. Still, it was an impressive performance, illustrating the improvement they’ve made as a One Day side since the disastrous 2015 World Cup. Since this tour has been going under the new super series points system, it’s probably relevant to point out that England have already won it. Having been tied at 8-8 after the test series, it’s now 16-10 to the hosts, with two more points on offer today.
It’s been a thrilling summer of cricket between these two teams so far, starting with the four match test series that seems an age ago now. The two teams couldn’t be split, England responding to an opening defeat by winning two games on the trot, only to lose the last test, splitting the series at 2-2. That took Pakistan to the top of the test rankings, so you could argue that it wasn’t a terrible result for either nation, although England were disappointed not to clinch the home win.
Good evening everyone, and welcome to VAVEL UK’s live ball-by-ball coverage of today’s international T20 fixture between two cricketing giants, England and Pakistan. I’m Tom Simmonds, and I’ll be taking you through the action, with the toss at Old Trafford, today’s venue, set for around 6PM BST.