Pakistan face spin trouble after Jones masterclass; concede series 2-0 to England

England thumped Pakistan by 84 runs in the second T20I at the Kinrara Oval in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday (December 19) to clinch the series 2-0. It was yet another Amy Jones show as the wicketkeeper-batter blitzed her way to 89 off just 52 balls. Her innings was the cornerstone of England's 185. Danielle Wyatt supported her with a handy knock of 55 as the duo put on 120 for the opening wicket. Later, the troika of spinners - Mady Villiers, Sophie Ecclestone and Sarah Glenn arrested Pakistan's progress with their spin.

Jones, coming off a fifty in the first T20I, was continuing from where she left off. She targeted the last over of the power play and took Anam Amin for 12 runs. She hit the first six of the match to bring up the 50-run stand with Wyatt. England collected 54 runs from the power play. Wyatt, playing her 100th T20I, was happy to give the strike to her partner and was getting her eye in for an onslaught later in the innings.

The introduction of spinners, Nida Dar and Syeda Aroob Shah, helped the openers take the attack to the opposition. Wyatt targeted the teenager Aroob Shah in the 10th over by collecting 17 runs off her. Jones brought her fourth T20I fifty off 31 balls by hammering Bismah Maroof straight down the ground for four. It was her second in successive matches.

Soon, Wyatt brought her fifty off 32 balls with a six over deep mid-wicket off Aliya Riaz. She though got out soon for 55 giving Anim her first wicket of the innings. The 120-run stand was finally broken in the 12th over.  Aroob Shah finally had something to cheer about when she dismissed Natalie Sciver for three. Looking to come down the track to flick the ball, Sciver could not connect and lost her shape to only find her stumps being dislodged.

Meanwhile, Jones continued to collect boundaries and sixes and was looking poised to get her maiden international hundred. One major difference for Jones in this innings was her dominance against spinners, which was very pleasing to see. She used her feet, pulled short balls and was cutting the balls with an absolute easy. England raced to 150 in the 16th over and was looking good to get to 200.

With England poised to post a total in excess of 200, Jones got out, missing her century just by 11 runs. Looking to go inside out Jones could not connect the ball and was cleaned up by Dar. Just 27 runs were scored off the last four overs, that meant England finished much lower than what they looked to at one point.

Chasing a daunting 186, Pakistan lost Nahida Khan (7) in the second over and then their in-form captain Bismah Maroof (9) in the fifth over. Soon Omaima Sohail followed them back and Pakistan had lost three inside the power play.

Mady Villiers, playing her first game on tour, started by bowling a maiden and the English spinners continued to keep things tight. Soon she got rid of Nida Dar, who is having a horror time with the bat in the series, for a duck after Sarah Glenn got Javeria Khan (10) to hole out.

Then Iram Javed and Aliya Riaz kept the tourists at bay for close to six overs - a phase in which England bowled 17 consecutive dots balls including back-to-back maiden overs by Villiers and Sciver. But soon Riaz departed for 16 and once Katherine Brunt sent back Javed for 38, it was effectively curtains for the hosts. The only consolation for them was that they crossed the 100-run mark.

Brief Scores: England 185/5 in 20 overs (Amy Jones 89, Danielle Wyatt 55; Anam Amin 2/30, Nida Dar 2/33) beat Pakistan 101/9 in 20 overs (Iram Javed 38, Aliya Riaz 16; Sophie Ecclestone 2/5, Katherine Brunt 2/19, Mady Villiers 2/21) by 84 runs. PoTM: Amy Jones