Alex Hales scored 171 as Pakistan were bowled out for 275; the hosts sealed a series win by taking an unassailable 3-0 lead.

By Abdullah Ansari (30th August, 2016)

Toss: England won the toss and chose to bat. 

Teams:

England: JJ Roy, AD Hales, JE Root, EJG Morgan (c), BA Stokes, JC Buttler (wk), MM Ali, CR Woakes, LE Plunkett, AU Rashid, MA Wood.

Pakistan: Sami Aslam, Sharjeel Khan, Azhar Ali (c), Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Amir.

England Innings

England began their innings somewhat cautiously after winning the toss, but the run-rate exceeded 6 soon as Pakistan set the tone for the rest of the match with some bad fielding, from the very first over. Jason Roy did not last long as he top edged a short and sharp delivery from Hasan Ali to Sarfraz Ahmed for 15. That was the last bit of joy for Pakistan for a while, as Hales and Root combined for a mammoth 248-run partnership. They batted sensibly and without pressing the accelator much initially, as Mohammad Nawaz bowled tight lines, but took a liking to the other spinners and Wahab Riaz's bowling. Hales was especially belligerent, as he regularly smashed boundaries on his way to the highest ODI score by an Englishman. 

Hales was eventually dismissed LBW by the impressive Hasan Ali, and Joe Root follow in the next over as he was caught behind off the equally impressive Mohammad Nawaz. Pakistan would have thought that with two new batsmen at the crease, they had a chance of limiting the damage. All such thoughts were put aside and replace by panic soon, as Buttler and Morgan started taking the bowlers to the cleaners. Nawaz's impressive spell of 1-42 in 9 overs became 1-62 in 10. Shoaib Malik bowled a 26-run over. Wahab Riaz returned, and finished with 0-110 in his 10 overs, the 2nd worst return in ODIs after Mick Lewis' 0-113. In the process, Buttler had reached a 22-ball fifty, the fastest by an Englishman. Morgan didn't hang around either, reaching his fifty in 24 balls. Despite an exceptional last over by Hasan Ali, which only went for 6 runs, England managed to get the highest ODI score, 444, beating Sri Lanka's 443. Buttler and Morgan added 161 in just 12 overs.

Fall Of Wickets

1-33 (Roy, 5.2 ov)
2-281 (Hales, 36.6 ov)
3-283 (Root, 37.6 ov)

Pakistan Innings

Pakistan faced an uphill task to say the least, and they never looked to be in any sort of a position to chase 445. Sami Aslam could have been dismissed LBW on the first ball if England reviewed the not out decision, but he did not last long as he was caught pulling for 8. Azhar Ali played a couple of good looking shots, but perished as he top edged one straight to third man for 13. Sharjeel gave the fans something to cheer about as he whacked 12 fours on his way to a 26-ball fifty, but it was all too little for the tourists as he perished for 58.

Babar Azam looked out of sorts and struggled to get going, as he was dismissed for 9 off 19 deliveries. Shoaib Malik did not look comfortable against the pace of Plunkett, and edged him behind soon thereafter. Sarfraz Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz tried to build a partnership but it was really too little in the context of the game, as the wicket-keeper was caught, sweeping the ball for 38. Hasan Ali failed to get bat on ball in a convincing manner, and was bowled by a good delivery from Moeen Ali. Nawaz's brief fight also came to and end as he drove Rashid straight to mid-off for 34. Wahab hung around for a bit, but fell to Wood's extreme pace as he was out LBW. Mohammad Amir and Yasir Shah got together and had some fun for the last wicket, as Amir in particular took a liking to Rashid's bowling. He smashed him for four 4s, including 3 in a row to reach a 22-ball fifty, getting to the highest score by a #11 as well. He was dismissed by Woakes, who finished with 4-41. Pakistan were 275 all out, as England sealed a 169-run win.

Fall Of Wickets

1-21 (Sami Aslam, 3.4 ov)
2-50 (Azhar Ali, 7.3 ov)
3-83 (Sharjeel Khan, 9.6 ov)
4-106 (Babar Azam, 15.1 ov)
5-108 (Shoaib Malik, 16.2 ov)

Match Summary:

An absolute thrashing for Pakistan, and Mickey Arthur will surely be concerned about the margin of defeat. When Pakistan were put under pressure in the field, it was the youngsters Amir, Hasan and Nawaz who stood up, and then, Sharjeel was the only batsman able to take the attack to the English bowlers. The fielding was atrocious as well, resulting in Michael Holding labelling the effort 'pathetic'. Pakistan need to show more character to avoid a whitewash, and a massive overhaul is on the cards after the series if the last two matches finish in a similar manner.

Next Game:

4th ODI at Leeds, 1st September, 13:00 GMT.

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