Explosive Buttler propels England to 200 runs against Pakistan 

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An explosive innings from stand-in captain Jos Buttler propelled England to 200 runs in 19.5 overs against Pakistan in the first innings of the second Twenty20 International (T20I) at the Yorkshire Cricket Ground in Leeds on Sunday. 

After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, England were off to a shaky start. Opener Jason Roy (10 off 4) went hard after all-rounder Imad Wasim, only to sky the fourth delivery of the match into the hands of fielder Mohammad Hafeez. 

Imad returned in his next over to remove batsman Dawid Malan (one off five) as Pakistan looked to tame the explosive England batting line-up. 

The fall of wickets however did not impact England’s intent as batsmen Moeen Ali and Jos Buttler combined for a whirlwind 67-run knock off just 31 balls to provide a solid foundation for their side. 

Pacer Mohammad Hasnain got the better of Moeen Ali, caught by fielder Babar Azam, after he had raced to 36 runs off 16 balls. 

Batsman Liam Livingstone then joined the explosive Buttler on the way to a 52- run partnership off 34 balls as England looked to impose themselves in the match. 

Mohammad Hasnain then returned to provide a crucial breakthrough for Pakistan removing Jos Buttler, caught by Babar Azam, after he had raced to 59 runs off 39 balls. 

The opening paved the way for more wickets as Pakistan looked to stem the flow of runs from the bat of the Englishmen.  

Leg-spinner Shadab Khan removed dangerous batsman Jonny Bairstow (13 off seven balls), caught by fielder Fakhar Zaman, as the batsman tried to clear the boundary but failed. 

Liam Livingstone (38 off 23) appeared to be in sublime form, similar to his incredible touch in the first T20I, before falling because of a mix-up with fellow batsman Tom Curran. 

Curran (nine off seven) himself fell shortly after off the bowling of Mohammad Hasnain, caught by fielder Sohaib Maqsood. 

Pacer Haris Rauf then removed tailenders Chris Jordan (14 off eight) and Adil Rashid (two off four) in quick succession to further dent England’s onslaught. 

Tailender Matt Parkinson was the last wicket to fall, bowled by pacer Shaheen Shah, as Pakistan managed to restrict England to 200 runs in 19.5 overs despite the fireworks from the batsmen. 

Hasnain was the pick of the bowler for his side, taking three wickets at the expense of 51 runs.