| First Twenty20, Emirates Old Trafford |
| England 131-6 (16.1 overs): Banton 71 (42), Imad 2-31, Shadab 2-33 |
| Pakistan: Didn’t hit |
| Game canceled due to rain |
| Scorecard |
Tom Banton announced himself on the international stage with an exciting 71 of 42 balls before the rain washed out England’s first Twenty20 against Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford.
The 21-year-old became the youngest English player to hit half a century of T20 when he hit four fours and five sixs.
His departure was the first of four wickets to fall for 14 runs just before the rain intervened 131-6 after 16.1 overs with England.
The game was abandoned at 9:00 p.m. CET, although better weather is forecast for the second T20 of the three-game series on Sunday on the same ground.
This game will be shown live on BBC One at 1:45 p.m., the return of live cricket to the BBC for the first time in 21 years.
Banton dazzles in the middle of the English battle
Banton, one of the most devastating limited overrun batsmen on the county circuit, had fifty to show out of his first nine games for England in one-day and T20 cricket.
There was little early in Manchester to suggest he would buck this trend, which was knocked down to five by Iftikhar Ahmed – a regular slip-up chance – and battled for timing on a split pitch after Jonny Bairstow’s fifth extradition the game had bored back to Imad Wasim.
The first 50 runs in England required 49 balls – the slowest start since the last T20 World Championship – and reflected Banton and Dawid Malan’s lack of language skills.
The next 50 made only 19 deliveries, largely thanks to Banton’s brilliance.
When Shadab Khan, who was three leg sixs ahead of the leg spinner, put his reach and strength to the test, the easy ramp up the fine leg for six in front of Haris Rauf, Pakistan’s fastest bowler, was an example of his striking distance and amazing hand-eye -Coordination.
After Banton was involved in a mix-up that resulted in Malan stranded in the middle of the field and leaking for 23, he drove a leading edge to cover as he aimed over the line on the 13th.
Eoin Morgan was on his way to Iftikhar a moment later, Moeen Ali was caught trying to cut Shadab, and Lewis Gregory was at a loss as he advanced to Imad.
The impact of England’s slide from 109-2 to 123-6 was so great that it may have been the happier of the sides when it rained at 7:20 pm.
‘It was fun’
At fifty balls out of 33, Banton took the record from Jonny Bairstow, who was 22 when he made his first T20 half-century for England.
“I will always play this way no matter what,” Somerset Batsman Banton told BBC Test Match Special.
“It was a lot of fun tonight and unfortunately the rain overwhelmed us.”
Banton had only managed 56 runs in three T20s since his England debut in New Zealand in November.
“It’s a bit confident of moving forward because I haven’t had that in the past,” he said.
“I was in Pakistan for the PSL (Pakistan Super League) and I didn’t do well. So I was a little worried about getting into this game.”
“They bowled really well up front and it was difficult. I went after some of their bowlers and beat them.”
