Agency :
Liam Livingstone smashed England’s fastest-ever T20 century but it came in vain as Pakistan won a thrilling series opener by 31 runs at Trent Bridge.
After Pakistan posted their highest T20 international score of 232-6, England were three down inside five overs only for Livingstone – 103 from 43 balls – to keep them in the game with a stunning 42-ball century that included six fours and a staggering nine sixes.
On a favourable batting pitch and short square boundaries, Babar Azam thumped 85 from 49 balls and Mohammad Rizwan made 63 from 41 in an opening stand of 150 to set the tourists on their way to victory and Shaheen Afridi took 3-30 to put Pakistan 1-0 up in the three-match series.
Although there was early swing for David Willey, Pakistan were soon making the most of near-perfect batting conditions in Nottingham with Babar taking three boundaries off the left-armer’s second over and the boundaries flowed from there.
After his brilliant 158 in the third ODI on Tuesday, the tourists’ skipper continued in the same vein and more than made up for Rizwan’s slow start to take Pakistan to 49-0 at the end of the powerplay.
The runs kept coming and Babar breezed to his 19th T20I fifty from 35 balls and, having suddenly rediscovered his timing, Rizwan was not far behind, sweeping Matt Parkinson for six to bring up the 100 partnership and reaching his own half-century, from 34 balls, in the next over.
