England Takes Lead in Series with 23-Run Victory over Pakistan at Edgbaston

Jos Buttler's team moved ahead in the series by defeating Pakistan by 23 runs at Edgbaston. The first T20 match was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain, but the second match showcased a stormy performance from captain Buttler's bat. Following that, the bowling prowess of Topley, Archer, and Moeen Ali sealed a thrilling victory for the hosts.

Just before the World Cup, England began the four-match T20 series with a win. The first match of the series was washed out by rain. In the second match at Edgbaston, Pakistan's captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bowl first. Buttler seemed delighted with Babar's invitation, launching an assault right from the start. Buttler hit a fifty off 34 balls and ended his innings with a score of 84.

England posted a total of 183 runs on the scoreboard, losing 7 wickets in the designated 20 overs. Phil Salt, who opened with Buttler, was dismissed early, scoring 13 off 9 balls before being caught off Imad Wasim's delivery in the 4th over. After Salt's departure, Buttler partnered with Will Jacks. Their partnership added 71 runs before Jacks was dismissed for 37.

Buttler's onslaught continued as he reached fifty off just 34 balls. Jonny Bairstow, who came to support Buttler, scored 21 runs. However, Harry Brook and Moeen Ali failed to contribute significantly, scoring 1 and 4 runs respectively, departing quickly. Chris Jordan, dismissed by Shaheen Shah Afridi, managed to score only 3 runs.

Buttler fell short of a century, departing after a brilliant innings of 84 runs off 51 balls, including 8 boundaries and 3 sixes.

Chasing a target of 184, Pakistan struggled right from the start as Moeen Ali's spin struck in the very first over, dismissing Mohammad Rizwan for a duck. The other opener, Saim Ayub, managed only 2 runs off 7 balls. Reeling at 14 for 2, Pakistan managed to stabilize briefly with a 53-run partnership between Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman.

However, once Babar (32) and Fakhar (45) were dismissed, Pakistan's hopes dwindled. Despite contributions from Azam Khan (11), Iftikhar Ahmed (23), and Imad Wasim (22), Pakistan fell short. The regular fall of wickets continued, and they were eventually bowled out 4 balls before their 20 overs were up. 

All six England bowlers took wickets, with Reece Topley being the standout, taking 3 wickets for 41 runs.

Pakistan was bowled out for 160, giving England a 23-run victory and a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.