Pakistan v England, 4th ODI - 5 Talking Points

The 4^th and final ODI of the series turned out to be a high scoring affair and produced some lusty blows from batsmen of both the sides. England, leading 2-1, achieved a rare ODI series win in the sub-continent while Pakistan was left with plenty to ponder in ODI cricket. Batting first the visitors hammered 355/5 and in reply Pakistan was going strong at one stage however eventually fell short by 84 runs. A convincing 3-1 series win will be cherished by the young England team. Let’s have a look at the 5 talking points from this match:

1. Jason Roy’s maiden ODI hundred:

Deciding to bat first, England was looking for a solid start and it was provided by Jason Roy and Alex Hales as the two put on 54 for the first wicket before Hales was dismissed in the 12^th over. Roy continued batting well and kept mixing caution with aggression to good effect. He brought up his fifty in the 19^th over and continued rotating the strike much to the frustration of the Pakistani bowlers. He got a life on 77 when Rizwan at slip failed to hold on to a sharp one which deflected off the gloves of the keeper off the bowling of Yasir Shah. He brought up his maiden ODI ton from 113 balls in the 34^th over of the innings. He was soon dismissed by Shah for a very fine 102 off 117 balls that included 8 fours and 1 six. Roy’s knock put England in a strong position and set-up the innings beautifully for them.

2. Buttler plays a blinder:

Jos Buttler broke his own record for England’s fastest ODI hundred with a belligerent knock of 116* from just 52 balls. Coming in, to bat at the fall of Roy’s wicket, Butler quickly got into the act and started to punish the Pakistani bowlers. He looked in ominous touch and was particularly severe against the faster bowlers smashing them to all parts of the ground. He brought up his 50 off only 30 balls and what followed was even more astonishing. Buttler spanked Anwar Ali for 2 fours and 2 sixes in the 46^th and hit 3 huge sixes in the 49^th over of the innings to bring up his 100. The seventh fastest in ODI history off 46 balls. He shares the 7^th spot with New Zealand’s Jesse Ryder. England got their highest total in Asia courtesy this special knock from Butler who was at his aggressive best.

3. Pakistani fast bowlers prove expensive:

The failure of their fast blowers hurt Pakistan badly. None of them were able to sustain any kind of pressure on the English batsmen. Mohammad Irfan did pick up 2 wickets, however, conceded 64 off his 10 overs. Anwar Ali had a forgettable match going for 75 off 9 over and Wahab Riaz also struggled to contain the English unit and went for 70 runs from his 9 overs. The pitch was flat however they didn’t do themselves any favours by bowling short and on both sides of the wicket. They failed to keep a check on Buttler who kept smashing them for fours and sixes. Even Joe Root, who scored a wonderful half-century and Jason Roy, who scored his maiden ODI ton, batted comfortably against the quicks.

4. Pakistani batsmen fail to convert their starts:

None of the Pakistani batsmen got a hundred and failed to convert their starts into a big one. The skipper Azhar Ali got 44 before he was dismissed caught and bowled by David Willey playing a loose shot. The experienced Mohammad Hafeez was run out on 37 trying to go for an unnecessary single. Babar Azam made a run-a-ball 51 before throwing hit wicket away at a time when Pakistan needed a big partnership. Aiming to hit a big shot he got too far underneath the ball and couldn’t get the required distance and was caught by Hales who took a fine running catch coming in from deep covers. Shoaib Malik smashed 52 off just 34 balls, however, failed to cash on a full toss and was again brilliantly caught by Hales on the leg side. The ball should have been sent over the boundary for a huge six however Malik failed to do so. Pakistan needed 128 off 106 balls when he lost his wicket and had Malik carried on, they were in with a chance to pull off a win.

5. Adil Rashid takes 3 crucial wickets:

The leg-spinner conceded 78 runs off his 10 overs, however, proved his worth by taking 3 crucial wickets. He did something the Pakistani bowlers had failed to do. In the shorter formats of the game, one may go for runs but picking up wickets at important junctures is crucial. Babar was well set on 51 and his wicket was a huge one for England. Pakistan had scored 176 runs from 25 overs and were looking good at that moment having lost only 3 wickets. The first ball of the 26^th over saw Rashid cleverly toss it up wide of the off stump and Azam couldn’t get the elevation he was looking for and holed out in covers. He got one to spin sharply away from Mohammad Rizwan’s bat and nicked the ball into the safe hand of Butler. Rizwan had started positively hitting one six and one four and looking to take the attack to the English bowlers. Sarfaraz Ahmed was Pakistan’s last hope and well set on 24 off 26 balls. Rashid had him caught by Willey which ended the home side’s hopes of leveling the series. Pakistan at one stage needed 86 off 73 balls, however, they had lost 8 wickets and things were out of hands. The 3 wickets taken by Rashid helped England stay on the top in the crucial phase of the chase.