Composed Bairstow lifts England to 150

England 150 for 7 (Bairstow 60*) v Pakistan

Jonny Bairstow revived memories of his brilliant England one-day debut with a maiden international fifty in Dubai to leave Pakistan chasing 151 for a victory that would give them the Twenty20 series.Bairstow's 41 from 21 balls against India in Cardiff on a rainy night last September identified him as a one-day cricketer of immense promise, but it had remained his highest score in eight innings in ODIs and T20s as England awaited confirmation that he could follow up his flash of brilliance by proving that, at 22, he was ready for the international stage.Slow Asian pitches had forced a lot of self-analysis for Bairstow but he came alive against a high-class Pakistan attack. If Cardiff had brought excitement, Dubai, with the ring of fire blazing down, confirmed that it was not misplaced.Bairstow is that rare commodity for England, a power hitter, and after he squirted Umar Gul into the legside to secure his half-century four balls from the end of the innings, he emphasised the fact it by slapping a slow ball from Gul, a shot he did not really middle, over long-on for six.Against an excellent Pakistan attack, his unbeaten 60 from 46 balls were runs well earned. A dead surface added to England's difficulties and left them hopeful that their total would prove adequate, especially as Pakistan had successfully defended 144 for 6 two days earlier.Bairstow was determined to provide impetus from the outset. A flat six into the sightscreen bolstered his confidence and encouraged that, in his examination by Pakistan's spinners, he had at least gained pass marks on the subject of Shahid Afridi's googly.His most exceptional stroke, though, was reserved by Saeed Ajmal, slick footwork to make room followed by a regal off drive. There were muscular sweeps against the spinners and there was fun, too, as he grinned at Ajmal after daring a reverse sweep.Kevin Pietersen had been in domineering form in the first tie so Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan's captain, gave him a new challenge up front in the form of Mohammad Hafeez and Aizaz Cheema, in for Junaid Khan, but it was Ajmal who broke through in the fifth over when Pietersen mis-swept him to short fine leg.Eoin Morgan's' tortured tour continued. He has yet to manage a half-century and, although he briefly hinted at better with two successive cover boundaries against Gul, he poked forward to Hafeez and was lbw. He should have been lbw the previous ball, when he was defeated on the cut, but the umpire Ahsan Raza, unsure whether the ball had hit bat before pad, gave him the benefit of the doubt. Morgan insists that playing spin is a strength of his game, but the evidence that he is deluding himself is irrefutable.When Craig Kieswetter, who had looked more threatening than at any time on tour, holed out at long-off for 31, with four wickets lost by the 10th over, England split their two greenhorns, Bairstow and Buttler, with Samit Patel, himself a veteran of only seven Twenty20s but more proven in these conditions and with a solid T20 record at Nottinghamshire behind him. Patel's run out, eschewing a dive to the crease as Ajmal hit direct with a throw from long leg will not find favour with England's management.Gul at the death - predominantly bowling yorkers with a hint of reverse swing - was again excellent and it did nothing for the reputation of Buttler's trademark shot, the step to leg and horizontal-bat shovel over his left shoulder. As Gul hit the stumps with a low full toss, the shot had got Buttler out on two successive occasions.Even Cheema, who would have been identified by England as the weak link, displayed his skill with a deceptive slower ball to strike Stuart Broad's off-stump. As for Hammad Azam, his bowling had been overlooked by Misbah in the first game on the grounds that the situation was too tight. Presumably he expected this one to be tight, too, because he overlooked it again.