Moeen Ali calls for aggressive approach after defeat in fifth T20I

Pakistan players celebrate a wicket in fifth T20I

England succumbed to a six-run defeat to Pakistan, after restricting the hosts to a moderate total in the fifth T20I. The defeat granted the ‘Men in Green’ a 3-2 lead in the seven-match series, which itself serves as a testing ground for both sides ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia next month.

After the match, English skipper Moeen Ali lamented his side’s lack of aggressive approach in the death overs. The all-rounder led a lone rebellion in the run-chase, smacking 51* off just 37 balls as he kept losing wickets at the other end.

Pakistan opens Lahore leg of T20I series with a win

Moeen Ali laments defeat, praises Mark Wood

England’s interim captain Moeen Ali said that he was disappointed with the eventual result and praised Pakistan spinners for their effective bowling. He added that his team needed to play aggressively in the dying stages of the match.

According to Ali, the English batters failed to take advantage of the dew and overnight rain and fell short of their target.

The veteran all-rounder also praised Mark Wood for his regal spell earlier in the game. The speedster bowled his quota of four overs to concede just 20 runs, and picked three wickets in the process on a turning wicket. Moeen Ali said:

“Excellent game, yet disappointing. That is not who we are as a team. Due to their effective bowling spinners, we had trouble in the middle. We needed to persevere and play aggressively in the dying stages because we knew the bowlers would find it difficult to control the dew and overnight rain.”

“He (Mark Wood) is incredible. He bowled quickly on an incredibly slow surface. He is enormous for our group. In the two games he has played for us, he has been fantastic and grabs the key wickets.”

Moeen Ali attends press conference, watch video

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