ENGLAND LOOK FOR SEVENTH T20I WIN ON THE TROT

Having drawn first blood on Sunday, England aim to maintain their dominant run as they go for a series win against Pakistan in the second and final T20I at Cardiff on Tuesday.

Once again, as has been the case throughout this summer, the English bowling was bang on target as they restricted Pakistan to a mere 126 in 20 overs. There was not much swing on offer but the bowlers held back their lengths a little bit, using the extra bounce, adjusting wonderfully to the conditions. Swann continued to show why he is the numero uno off-spinner in the world and was well supported by Yardy as well. The batting did suffer some jitters and there will be some doubts over the form of the top order, which has been inconsistent right from the Test series.

The visitors went ahead with plenty of off-field pressure, looking to shrug it off, but there was no improvement from what transpired in the Test series, in spite of a new captain. The bowling looked sharp though, as Shoaib Akhtar led the attack from the front, giving the visitors a sniff, but they clearly missed Amir and Asif. The fielding ghosts emerged once again as catches were dropped and the English batsmen got a reprieve.

There are chances of light showers which could sweep across the ground but we might still get a full game. The hosts look well poised to clinch the series but if the Afridi-led side improve their basics, they might well spring in a surprise and get some momentum ahead of the ODI series.