England Lions beat Shaheens in 2nd T20 to take unassailable 2-0 lead

2026-02-22 - 17:54

England Lions beat Pakistan Shaheens by 32 runs in the second T20 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium Nursery One in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The third match of the series will be played at the same venue on Tuesday, February 24, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 7.30 pm local time. After winning the toss and opting to field, Pakistan Shaheens made early inroads when Shahid Aziz dismissed Will Smeed for a first-ball duck. Ben McKinney (38) and Lions captain Jordan Cox (34) steadied the innings with a brisk stand before Saad Masood struck twice to finish with figures of two for 38 in three overs. However, James Coles anchored the latter half of the innings and remained unbeaten on 48 off 30 balls, which included four fours and two sixes as Lions posted 183 for five. Right-arm fast bowler Shahid, who was playing his first match of the series, grabbed two wickets for 26 runs in his four overs. In turn, Pakistan Shaheens got off to a decent start courtesy captain Shamyl Hussain (20) and Maaz Sadaqat, who top-scored with 32 off 25 balls, including two fours and as many sixes. The pair added 41 for the first wicket in 4.2 overs, but regular breakthroughs halted the chase. Left-handed wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig (20) and Hasan Nawaz (20) attempted to rebuild the innings before Saad Masood, coming in to bat at number seven, scored 30 off 17 balls, hitting two fours and two sixes. Shahid (15) also chipped in with a cameo, but the required rate proved too steep as Shaheens were eventually dismissed for 151 with three balls to spare. Player of the match Coles starred with the ball as well, returning figures of four for 18, while Scott Currie and Sonny Baker picked up two wickets apiece for the winning side. South Africa thrash India in T20 World Cup Super Eight match