WICKET! Asad Shafiq run out, the silly sausage for, 34 Patel's back on, and that's awful from Shafiq. Works it to leg, there's one and half runs there. Shafiq comes back for the second and is run out diving. What a dolt, that is a huge boon for England at a critical stage of the match. FOW 76/3
OVER 12: PAK 75/2 (Asad Shafiq 33* Misbah-ul-Haq 9*) Swann continues. Two wides as a ball turns big down leg, five singles, and that's Pakistan's best over against spin. Seven off it. 55 from 48. Where's your money?
OVER 11: PAK 68/2 (Asad Shafiq 30* Misbah-ul-Haq 7*) Stupidly ignoring my muttered advice from a few thousand miles away, Broad takes Patel off and brings himself on. I think he should have carried on with the spin and applied a tourniquet from which Pakistan could not escape. Instead, Broad saves Patel for later; and it doesn't pay off. Asad drives down the ground, and then thin edges for another four. A much-needed 11 off the over, maybe that can get Pakistan going again.
OVER 10: PAK 57/2 (Asad Shafiq 21* Misbah-ul-Haq 5*) Swann keeps the pressure on, and Asad tries to let it off by charging and clubbing down the ground. He's lucky in that it falls just shot of the diving Jos Buttler, who arguably went for saving the boundary rather than committing fully to the catch. Five off the over. 73 needed off 60
OVER 9: PAK 52/2 (Asad Shafiq 18* Misbah-ul-Haq 3*) Might Pakistan have been better promoting Umar Akmal or Shahid Afridi to partner the steady Asad? We will never know. Another tight over of spin for England, and there are just three runs off Patel's over. He gets away with a long hop that is pulled to the fielder at deep midwicket.
OVER 8: PAK 49/2 (Asad Shafiq 17* Misbah-ul-Haq 1*) Those two overs of spin have hauled England right back into things. Just two from Swanny's first over, plus the wicket. Pakistan now have two accumulators at the crease, and they need to be careful that this innings does not become becalmed.
WICKET! Awais Zia lbw Swann 23 He's done it yet again! Swann, into the attack, and he's picked up a wicket in his first over. And, yet again, it is a left hander. Poor General Zia's had a rough one there, though: that pitched outside leg stump. Unlucky. No reviews in T20, and a promising innings comes to an end. FOW 48/2
OVER 7: PAK 47/1 (Zia 23* Asad Shafiq 16*) England turn to spin, and my man Samit Patel comes on. Just two singles, and wicket-threat as well, as Zia nearly cuts onto his own stumps.
OVER 6: PAK 45/1 (Zia 22* Asad Shafiq 15*) England need a wicket here, and the skipper brings himself on. Zia flirts with a Broad delivery outside off and misses. Just five off the over but progress looks worryingly serene for Pakistan.
OVER 5: PAK 40/1 (Zia 20* Asad Shafiq 12*) England gonna lose this. Asad Shafiq edges a ball for four through the vacant slip area. England should have a run out when the batsmen go for a single, but yet again on this tour, fail to hit with the throw. Finny slips in a wide, Dernbach dives bravely to save a four at third man, but they get two, and before you know it, that's 10 off the over.
OVER 4: PAK 30/1 (Zia 18* Asad Shafiq 5*) Three singles in a row, and then Zia sees a slower ball from Dernbach early and smashes it through the offside for four. He looks a bit less like a blacksmith on steroids in this innings, a bit more measured.
OVER 3: PAK 22/1 (Zia 12* Asad Shafiq 3*) Go on General Zia. He shows that he has more than one shot after all, playing a classy lofted drive over the cover boundary for six! Nice slower ball from Finny, always that bit more effective when used sparingly to my mind, not naming any names JADE DERNBACH. Three singles and a leg bye makes that a decent over from Pakistan, England were 23/1 at this stage....
OVER 2: PAK 12/1 (Zia 5* Asad Shafiq 2*) Dernbach builds on that wicket with a good over, just a few singles off it. Plenty of slower balls.
WICKET! Mohammad Hafeez c&b Dernbach 0 Crikey, well that's a start! Jade D's first ball, and first ball for Hafeez as well. He prods it back at the bowler, the bat isn't straight, turns in his hands as he makes contact and that's as tame a caught-and-bowled as you'll see. Just as well Hafeez has been doing the biz with the ball, because he's a walking wicket at the moment. FOW 8/1
OVER 1: PAK 8/0 (Zia 4* Mohammad Hafeez 0*) Okay start from Finn, no more. Zia is into his work right away, smacking the ball out on the offside for a couple, saved by Buttler on the boundary. One legside ball bumps off Zia's hip for four leg byes. Another couple driven to mid off.
17.45 So here comes Steve Finn and, excitingly, the highly entertaining Pakistan newbie Awais Zia on strike.
BREAK England 129/6 A stuttering and unconvincing effort from England's young specialists: Kieswetter, Morgan, Bairstow and Buttler managing 36 runs off 49 balls between them. Kevin Pietersen looked a class above, keeping his side in it with a masterful 62 that featured inch-perfect placement, inventiveness, timing and raw power. He has given them a defendable total on a slow, lowish pitch. We'll find out how Pakistan get on in just a second.
OVER 20: ENG 129/6 (KP 62* Broad 6*) Like the previous one, that over was going really well for Pakistan until the end of it. Broad plays his part, chipping and bunting into the offside and down the ground for ones and twos. But then England go into the break with something to cheer them as KP smashes a high full toss over midwicket for a ma-hoooo-sive maximum.
OVER 19: ENG 118/6 (KP 55* Broad 2*) Very good stuff from Gul, there's not really a lot to hit, but then the wheels come off as he bowls a wide on ball five. KP punishes the extra delivery, superb placement and skills to dig out a yorker and steer it through the offside for four. Kev's fifty up in the over. Nine off it.
"Alan, asking how England are developing as a limited overs outfit is an oxymoron, I thought this was T20 we were watching? England are No.1 at T20. So they can therefore only undevelop, if you get what I mean," writes Arni in Hong Kong.
Writes B Newcombe: "I agree. What is the point of Keiswetter particularly as we already have arguably the best keeper/batsmen in the world at the moment (in all forms of cricket!!)" I am assuming he means Matt Prior; if so, I agree, at least in the short term. That said, Prior won't be around forever, so it's good that the future Test keepers get some epxerience. I just don't think CK is the man.
OVER 18: ENG 109/6 (KP 49* Broad 0*) 12 off the over, so England would probably have taken that, despite the wicket. Four wickets for Ajmal, yet another brilliant shoing from this hugely talented and likeable cricketer. Skipper's in; blocks one ball and that's over.
WICKET! Patel st Umar Akmal b Ajmal 16 Excellent duel between Ajmal and Patel. Samit hits him down the ground for six, and then gets lucky with an inside-edge for four. But Saeed keeps tossing it up, and Samit bites, comes miles down the dancefloor and misses. Even an Akmal cannot miss THAT stumping, and Samit's bright and breezy 16 from 10 balls is over. FOW 109/6
OVER 17: ENG 97/5 (KP 49* Patel 4*) You know what? If I was picking the England Twenty20 team, I'd have 11 Samit Patels. As long as I wasn't picking up the tab at dinner, that is. He gets going with a nice push to extra cover for two, KP also finds gaps for a couple of ones and twos and there are 8 off the over. Despite bowling really well, Umar Gul's three have gone for 30 so far. Who'd be a quickie in T20, eh?
OVER 16: ENG 89/5 (KP 45* Patel 0*) Samit comes in, can he be the man to help Kevin force this up abover 130-odd?
WICKET! Buttler lbw Ajmal 7 Oh dear, Jos Buttler's stuttering and unhappy innings comes to an ungainly end when he tries to sweep and misses. Tumbling over and looking like a bit of a clot, he is plumb lbw, 7 off 13 balls and this has been a hard education for young Jos. 17 runs in three innings and that's 89/5
OVER 15: ENG 87/4 (KP 44* Buttler 6*) Ten off the over, but I think they should change the rules here. Kevin is wandering all around in his crease: is it then Umar Gul's fault if he bowls a wide? One wide, then four wides as Kev backs miles away to leg, twice, Umar tries to follow him and gets it wrong. I think they should change the laws: if you move laterally in your crease, then wides don't apply. I mean, it's hard enough bowling as it is, let alone having to do it at a moving target. Jonathan Liew, violently - and I do mean violently; he's got a knife - he reckons if the batsman wants to take the risk of abandoning his stumps, he opens himself up to all sorts of difficulty, and that makes up for it. Couple of ones and twos make that a good over for England, inclufing the five wides.
OVER 14: ENG 77/4 (KP 43* Buttler 3*) Jos swings and misses at Afridi's leggie, but manages to then get a googly away. But just a single for him, and one for Kevin, in a classy over by Shahid. Sadly for England, KP only faces one ball of the over; Buttler is having a hard time getting hold of Afridi. I am furiously downsizing my assessment of England's realistic hopes like a Conservative Party chancellor looking at the budget. I'd take 125 now.
OVER 13: ENG 75/4 (KP 42* Buttler 2*) Here comes the Buttler, he gets a couple of singles. England need to get KP, who frankly looks in a different class to these young shavers today, onto strike.
WICKET! Bairstow b Saeed Ajmal 3 Ah, not today, youngster. Jonny B backs away a long way, showing all three of his stumps to Ajmal and trying to cut. Dunno if he was hoping that ball was the doosra or something, but it just spun back a bit and crashed into the timbers. Off ye go. FOW 72/4
OVER 12: ENG 72/3 (KP 41* Bairstow 2*) Pakistan toddling along with their battery of twirlymen and their Tesco Value fielding. Kev gets lucky when he cuts Afridi and sees the bottom edge not only miss his stumps but run behind for four. Nicely placed lofted shot from Kev into the offside and England are pootling towards an okay-ish score here, if Kevin stays in. It does look a bit of a muddling surface, 130 probably not a disaster, 140 would be nice.
OVER 11: ENG 65/3 (KP 35* Bairstow 2*) Mohammad Hafeez, who has shown himself to be A vErY USeFul CrIcKEter of late, finishes his four overs with a tight set that give England just three singles. He has a shout when he hits KP on the pads. Four overs for 22 for MoHaf.
OVER 10: ENG 62/3 (KP 34* Bairstow 0*) Earlier in the over, KP had patted the ball back over Afridi's head. So good are the bats these days, that it runs away for four.
WICKET! Morgan run out 3 Oh, cruel cricket. When you're down, you really are down. KP plays a ball into the offside, sets off, sees that it was a stupid idea, sends Morgan back and the out-of-form Irish talent is run out at the non-striker's end. Classic "yes... no... sorry" stuff. KP looks furious with himself. Morgan looks furious with everybody. FOW 62/3
OVER 9: ENG 56/2 (KP 29* Morgan 8*) Mo Hafeez completely does for Morgan as he comes down the track, and that's the easiest stumping a man could wish for. Any other man, but not an Akmal! Somehow, Umar manages to stuff it up. Good grief. Morgan has another let off. England have four singles in the over, thanks in part to more whiffy fielding from the men in green.
OVER 8: ENG 52/2 (KP 27* Morgan 6*) Here comes the great Afridi. Morgan fails to pick the googly and smears it up into the onside. Luckily for him, it lands just short of mid on. Morgan looks horrible, again, I am afraid to say.
OVER 7: ENG 48/2 (KP 25* Morgan 4*) Hafeez. Pure class from Kevin, picking the ball up and placing it a yard inside the midwicket/long on rope, bisecting two fielders. Morgs is trying to get on his bike with a pull for a couple. He needs something here.
Robin Davies writes: "I thought T20 was supposed to be fast and furious...... I like the image of Bairstow as a 'talking horse' - plenty of work in the panto season." I love a good panto. As to the pace of the game, yeah, I see what you mean. But I reckon Kevin might be about to go big here.
OVER 6: ENG 39/2 (KP 19* Morgan 1*) Excellent over from Cheema again, five singles off it as Morgan joins Pietersen. Very useful spell. This looks a slowish, slightly low pitch. 140 would be very decent on here I think.
WICKET! Bopara c Umar Akmal b Aizaz Cheema 1 Ooh, classy bowling from Aizaz Cheema. He'd been bringing the ball into the right-hander, and then he gets one just to straighten. Takes the edge of Bopara's bat, and that is a brilliant low catch from Umar Akmal. His keeping has not been great, but that is a catch right out of the top drawer. FOW 37/2
OVER 5: ENG 34/1 (KP 16* Ravi Bopara 0*) Kev shows Craig how it's done, slamming the ball wide of long on for four. Here's Ravi.
WICKET! Kieswetter c Shoaib Malik 17 b Saeed Ajmal Ajmal - for it is he - might not be quite the same threat without men around the bat, but if you hit it high and handsome down long on's throat, he doesn't need to be. Good low catch by Shoaib Malik. Go away, Craig Bedwetter. My least favourite of the current England set-up. I mean, I don't bear him any personal animosity. Sure he is a nice chap. I just don't see the point of him. He's one of those iffy pinch-hitters of five years ago, to my mind. And he lacks options at the crease. His keeping's not up to it, too often. And, you know, I hate to bring this up because it is VERY tiresome, but if we are going to import foreigners, at least let's get awesome ones. There must surely be an English guy who can smack 20 before getting out and then catch the odd thing with the gloves on? FOW 29/1
OVER 4: ENG 27/0 (KP 10* CK 17*) KP takes a quick single and Kieswetter would have (should have) been run out as Cheema gathers in his follow-up and dives to throw down the stumps. CK was out of his ground, despite a dive, but the ball misses. Five singles in that over, but a good effort from Cheema, England cannot get him away and are toe-ending or inside-edging rather than connecting. Cheema beats Kieswetter swinging outside off.
OVER 3: ENG 23/0 (KP 7* CK 15*) Wow, that's quite the over for England! The mighty Umar Gul is on, and young Craig gives him plenty to think about. A nine-iron into the onside for two, then a legside smack for four, and then he continues the mathematical progression by coming down the track to loft Umar over the offside. Six. Umar gets it back, a bit, with a couple of fine yorkers and a shortish ball.
A beautifully written and cogently argued email arrives from Tom Richards: "In response to your question regarding Simon Wilde's tweet (15.50), I would suggest Taylor absolutely, Stokes with a following wind (albeit partly as a 4th seamer, batting at 6 or 7), Buttler and Bairstow possibly, and the rest probably not. It's worth remembering, though, that recent England debuts for batsmen have been inherently skewed to hitters who may always be limited-overs specialists, as that is what we lack, rather than Test-suitable accumulators, of which we have a surfeit."
OVER 2: ENG 11/0 (KP 7* CK 3*) Aizaz Cheema to bowl the next over. KP gets a single, Pakistan a bit slow in the field there again. Now Cheema beats Craig with one that nips back and keeps low. He's not got his timing yet: smeared pull for a couple, then nearly drags one onto his own stumps.
Here's the alleged push by Finn on Saeed Ajmal in that last match
OVER 1: ENG 7/0 (KP 6* CK 0*) Kevin is looking to get down the pitch to Hafeez. Halfway down the track to knock a single for one. Kieswetter offers no shot to a ball that pitches outside leg and, to Hafeez's annoyance, that's given as one leg bye. Hafeez jerks and waits in his action, like a footballer doing a stutter penalty, to try and unsettle Kev. Pietersen gets hold of a sweep for four. Kurious Kricket all round. Pitch looks bone-dry, few cracks.
15.55 Now here come the players onto the Abu Dhabi pitch. England's South African-born opening pair stride to the crease, and here's Mohammad Hafeez with the ball. An interesting move from Misbah. KP to take strike.
15.50 Fascinating little fact, that Tweet below, I thought. I doubt Michael Carberry will play another Test for England, and Morgan has not been a success in the format. Obviously it is still early days for a lot of those players, but England have some thinking to do about their top six in the medium-term. Which of those nine names would you like to see batting for England in, say, 2016's Test matches?
15.40 Eoin Morgan has got some work to do in this match. England name their squad for the Sri Lanka Tests tonight, and talking horse Jonny Bairstow could be in the frame to replace Morgan. Who knows, might even be too late for Morgs. According to Nick Hoult, Ravi will be on the plane and England will take seven batsmen.
15.35 England have won the toss and will bat. Barbie Broad is certainly putting together some form with his coin-tossing: that's three on the spin. As for the team news: well, that's easy. Both teams are unchanged from Saturday.
England: KP Pietersen, C Kieswetter†, RS Bopara, EJG Morgan, JM Bairstow, JC Buttler, SR Patel, GP Swann, SCJ Broad*, JW Dernbach, ST Finn.
Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Awais Zia, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal†, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq*, Shahid Afridi, Hammad Azam, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Aizaz Cheema
15.30 Good afternoon all. We have something of a rare bird on display today: a cricket match that will decide a series. England were whitewashed by Pakistan in the Tests, then returned the favour by winning the ODIs 4-0 and now, glory be, the teams go into the third and final Twenty20 at one-all. For once, no dead rubber.
In truth, England ought to have won the first T20, needing as they did 35 from 30 balls with three wickets in hand. England's youngsters couldn't get it done on that occasion, but they bounced back well to take the second match, thanks to 60 off 46 balls from Jonny Bairstow. Nice to see some new(ish) faces in the England team, and this should be a fun little end to a strange and in many ways engrossing tour of the UAE.
I'll bring you the teams and toss as soon as I have them.
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