Salt peppers Pakistan as England go level

Phil Salt has blown Pakistan away with a blistering 88 not out as England took their seven-match Twenty20 series all the way to a decider.

Needing victory to tie the contest at 3-3, and with two unsuccessful chases in a row under their belts, the tourists romped to an eight-wicket win on Friday on the back of Salt's brilliance.

Faced with a target of 170, Salt blazed away to make a tricky target look inconsequential. The Lancashire opener hit three sixes and 13 fours in a 41-ball stay, easily outstripping his previous high of 57 in the format.

The tour now moves to its conclusion, with everything on the line in Lahore on Sunday.

Pakistan will be without Haider Ali who was taken to hospital with of a viral illness during the match. The batter made 18 off 14 balls but felt dizziness in the dressing room and was substituted.

He is the second Pakistan player admitted to hospital during the series after fast bowler Naseem Shah, who  has been ruled out of the series with pneumonia.

The first ball of England's chase set the tone, but could have gone either way, Salt slashing Mohammad Nawaz for four perilously close to backward point.

A whip past mid-on carried less risk for the same reward but the scoring was only just getting started. Salt and Alex Hales slammed 22 off the second over, matching each other stroke for stroke with a six and four apiece off the shellshocked Shahnawaz Dahani.

Mohammad Wasim was called on to stem the flow and shipped another 17, including three fours in a row from Hales. England had 50 off the first three overs and had set a tempo that slashed the required rate dramatically.

Hales (27) skied a top-edge but Salt pumped Nawaz down the ground four times in the space of five deliveries as he sprinted to England's third fastest half-century in just 19 deliveries 

Dawid Malan played nicely for 26 and by the halfway point of the chase the result was a formality, with only 41 more needed. Ben Duckett made a breezy 26 to cut off Salt's hopes of a century, but allowed his partner to claim the winning runs with 33 balls unused.

Pakistan had earlier posted 169 for six, built around Babar Azam's 87 not out. The captain bore a heavy burden in the absence of his usual accomplice Mohammad Rizwan - officially rested despite his hot streak of form - and lived up to expectation.

Babar was a class apart from the rest of his team, hitting three sixes and seven fours in his 59 balls but fellow opener Mohammad Haris (7) and Shan Masood (0) went early.

Babar had stands of 47 and 48 with Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed (31)  but both fell to Sam Curran.

Reece Topley shipped 19 in the last over, but with Salt in inspired form that was still a drop in the ocean.