England can reflect on six consecutive white-ball wins over Pakistan, and five out of five Twenty20 successes this year, after Chris Jordan delivered a perfect super over in Sharjah.
Jordan set aside his match figures of none for 39, his team’s most expensive as they tried to defend 154 for eight, and simply bowled as many yorkers as he could in six more balls as England wrapped up a 3-0 series whitewash.
He was inch perfect against Shahid Afridi and Umar Akmal, conceding only three in the over – a single off the bat, and two leg-byes – before Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler took the four necessary off Shahid Afridi to end England’s two-month tour of the UAE on a high.
Jordan was not the most obvious choice until Morgan decided yorkers were the answer, and that he knew who was most likely to get it right.
The seamer had no previous experience of this tensest of scenarios in limited-overs cricket, but could hardly have made a better job of it at the first attempt.
He said: “It’s something we try to work on ... so we can deliver under pressure.
“I was able to hold my nerve.”
Pakistan had tied the match thanks to Shoaib Malik’s brilliant, career-best 75 from 54 balls and his 63-run sixth-wicket stand with Afridi.
It was Chris Woakes who then kept his cool first, defending 10 runs off the final over and having Shoaib caught on the long-on boundary after tailender Sohail Tanvir clubbed him for a six second ball.
Then, it was over to Jordan – who was not going to let his wicketless figures bother him.
“Everything up to that point doesn’t matter then,” he added.
“I was thinking if I can nail the super over and get my team over the line, that’s all that’s important. It came off.”
Morgan and Buttler then appeared to have an easier task.
But Afridi was getting significant turn, and it went down to the penultimate delivery before the England captain scrambled two more runs still required.
Afterwards Morgan explained why he selected himself and Buttler, and Jordan.
“It was just trying to stay as calm as possible ... that was the reason we went for our most experienced players.
“Joe (Root) was going to bat three.
“Once we made the decision to bowl yorkers, it was CJ.
“If it was to bowl a skill that somebody else had better, we’d have gone with them.”
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