Pakistan lost, simple answer Misbah, what a poor player as well captain
England produced world-class death bowling coupled with moments of brilliance in the field to grab a five-run victory in the deciding Twenty20 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and seal the series 2-1. With Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal together, needing 35 off the last overs, Pakistan were in control but Stuart Broad and Jade Dernbach showed nerves of steel to finish the tour on a high.
The series win, a notable result for Broad who is still in his infancy as a captain, will give the England squad a significant surge of confidence ahead of their title defence at the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. Their remaining T20s before that match are all at home, so success in conditions similar - if not identical - to Sri Lanka will have provided a wealth of knowledge for the more youthful players.
Broad bowled the 16th and 19th overs which cost runs apiece and that included a misfield by Jonny Bairstow at long-on in the penultimate over which gave away a boundary. Broad removed Akmal, who skied a catch to long-off after missing the first balls of the 19th over, and Bairstow redeemed himself in the last with a powerful throw to Craig Kieswetter which found Shahid Afridi short of his crease.
Dernbach, who bowled the 17th over for six runs, was left with 13 to play with for the last and was in control except when a slower ball looped out short to be called wide. That left Pakistan needing eight off deliveries but Hammad Azam and Misbah could only muster singles before a trademark slower ball from Dernbach castled Misbah and set of wild celebrations from the bowler.
What Eoin Morgan would give for a quantity of Pietersen's end-of-tour form. His last innings of the trip was a tortured affair, as plenty of of the 16 before this had also been. They chipped short of long-off against Afridi on 6 & ought to have been stumped on 8 as Akmal added another error to a long list. But this didn't show pricey although Morgan was left cursing a team-mate than himself. Pietersen drove firmly to cover, where Misbah fumbled, & didn't adhere to the adage of "don't run on a misfield", leaving Morgan stuffed when they changed his mind again.
Bairstow could not repeat his showing from days ago as they misjudged the length against Saeed Ajmal, who claimed four for 23, & England's other young middle-order batsman, Buttler, had another hard innings. They scored runs off the nine combined deliveries they faced from Ajmal & Afridi & was then given lbw against Ajmal playing a sweep that left him on his knees in the crease. This tour has not launched Buttler's international career as it appeared it could do but they can still make the World Twenty20.
Crucially, however, Umar Gul had a poor day. Trying to react to Pietersen's movement in the crease, they conceded wides down the leg side &, in his final over, sprayed another wide outside off stump with Pietersen proceeding to hit the seventh ball to the midwicket boundary. That is all it takes to alter a tight Twenty20.
