England vs Pakistan 2020: Mohammad Hafeez, Bowlers Star as Pakistan Square Series in Thriller

Shaheen Afridi and Wahab Riaz starred with the ball while Mohammad Hafeez continued his fine form with the bat as Pakistan squared the series with a five-run win in a see-saw third Twenty20 international against England at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Batting first, Pakistan posted a formidable 190 for 4 with Hafeez smashing 86* off 52 and debutant Haider Ali scoring 54 off 33. Moeen Ali kept England alive with a stunning knock of 61 off 33 but Afridi and Wahab picked up two wickets apiece striking at crucial times to keep England in check.

England's chase started on the wrong note with Afridi hitting the base of Jonny Bairstow's off-stump in the first over for a duck. Soon, Dawid Malan fell to Imad Wasim, caught smartly in the deep by Fakhar Zaman, to leave England 26 for 2.

However, Tom Banton kept England going with a flurry of boundaries, three of them in the second over bowled by Wasim. The reverse sweeps were out again as England posted 54 in the Power Play.

But just when things were going well, a mix up induced by sharp fielding by Babar Azam sent back Eoin Morgan run out. Banton had the task of making up but he fell lbw to Haris Rauf, Pakistan making good use of the review.

England were 69 for 4 in the eighth over. Sam Billings added 57 for the fifth wicket with Moeen Ali to put England back on track, before he fell to Wahab with 65 needed off 34.

Moeen, who had settled in by then, took over. He smashed three sixes in an over off Shadab Khan to bring the equation to 42 off the last four.

Moeen crossed his half-century in 25 balls, even as Lewis Gregory added some crucial runs before being bowled by Shaheen. By then, England needed 21 off 13. Wahab then dealt the big blow, having Moeen caught and bowled with a back of length ball. England needed 17 in 7 then, which came down to 12 off 2.

Tom Curran hit the penultimate ball from Rauf for six, but could not quite repeat the same in the last ball.

There was a 20-year age gap between the 39-year-old Hafeez and the 19-year-old Haider but it was hard to notice the difference as they shared a stand of exactly 100 after coming together at 32-2.

Hafeez's knock followed his 69 in England's five-wicket win in the second T20 at Old Trafford on Sunday and was his fourth half-century in his last five T20 international innings.

England, however, had chased down a stiff target of 196 to go 1-0 up in the three-match series on Sunday, with captain Eoin Morgan and Dawid Malan both making fifties, after Friday's washout.

Off-spinner Moeen Ali struck with his first ball of the match when he bowled Fakhar Zaman.

But Haider slog-swept his second ball in international cricket, from Moeen, for six.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam, the world's top-ranked Twenty20 batsman, followed his 56 on Sunday with three fours off consecutive deliveries from fast bowler Saqib Mahmood before he was bowled for 21 by Tom Curran.

Haider struck all-rounder Lewis Gregory's first ball for an elegant legside pick-up six that soared over the longest boundary.

Hafeez followed up with two sixes off successive deliveries from leg-spinner Adil Rashid before Haider went to a 28-ball fifty with a pulled four off Gregory.

Rashid switched ends so he had a longer legside boundary to work with.

But Hafeez hit him for a superb straight six and swept him for four to complete a 31-ball fifty before Haider was bowled by Jordan.

(With AFP inputs)