Joe Root defies Pakistan bowlers as they are unable to defend a moderate total of 251.

By Abdullah Ansari (27th August, 2016)

Toss: Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat.

Teams:

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

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 Innings

Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat on a pitch with a greenish tinge. It didn't take long for the usual Pakistani collapse to happen. It was triggered by the controversial dismissal of Sami Aslam, who was adjudged caught behind down the leg-side; initially it was given not out, and overturned due to a small spike on Snickometer with ensuing debate between the commentators about whether the evidence was enough to over-rule the decision; he made 1. Sharjeel Khan was out next for a duck, as a beautiful delivery from Mark Wood beat him all ends up, with his off-stump out of the ground. Azhar Ali perished next, as he edged a good ball by Woakes behind for a duck as well, leaving Pakistanat 2/3. Babar Azam and Sarfraz Ahmed put on a good stand, as they played positively in an attempt to transfer pressure back on to England; however, Babar was dismissed by Plunkett as he inside-edged one which trickled on to his stumps.

Shoaib Malik was next and he provided Sarfraz with some useful support as the two enjoyed facing the spinners, with Malik hitting Pakistan's first six of the series. However, he was soon dismissed by a lifting delivery from Mark Wood, which he edged behind, out for 28. Imad Wasim was next, and he faced a desperate struggle to score, initially, but Sarfraz continued on. The wicket-keeper could not find the boundary regularly but ensured that he played few dot balls to play at a good pace, reaching an excellent hundred before he was dismissed, caught off Rashid for 105. Imad Wasim finally got going towards the end of the innings, reaching a fifty, but the tail wasn't able to provide him much support, as Pakistan finished on 251 all out with a ball to go with Imad not out on 63.

Fall Of Wickets

1-2 (Sami Aslam, 1.4 ov)
2-2 (Sharjeel Khan, 2.2 ov)
3-2 (Azhar Ali, 3.1 ov)
4-66 (Babar Azam, 13.4 ov)
5-125 (Shoaib Malik, 26.2 ov)
6-202 (Sarfraz Ahmed, 42.5 ov)
7-223 (Hasan Ali, 45.6 ov)
8-236 (Wahab Riaz, 47.6 ov)
9-238 (Yasir Shah, 48.3 ov)
10-251 (Mohammad Amir, 49.5 ov)

England Innings

Pakistan started brightly as they delivered a major blow to England first up; Mohammad Amir had the in-form Jason Roy bowled via an inside-edge. Hasan Ali bowled a few decent deliveries as well, but it was Imad Wasim who got the wicket of Alex Hales, whose wretched run against Pakistan continuned as he was bowled by going for a slog-sweep. Root and captain Morgan got together and batted excellently as they put on a 100 partnership. Pakistan once again struggled to build pressure, as Yasir Shah was unable to provide much of a threat. Joe Root rotated the strike excellently, ensuring that the required run rate was always under control. Morgan's innings came to an end when he was dismissed for 68, Imad Wasim getting him bowled.

Ben Stokes was the next batsman and he enjoyed his stay in the middle, going on the attack against the Pakistan bowlers. Hasan Ali bowled a snorter to him as one bounced a bit extra, and just went over the slip fielder, but he took a liking to the right-armer, getting him away for a few boundaries. However, Hasan had the last laugh as he got his maiden wicket for Pakistan as Ben Stokes was bowled. Jos Buttler had a brief stay at the crease, as a direct hit by Yasir Shah saw him run out. Joe Root was next, as he top-edged a reverse-swinging delivery by Wahab Riaz, dismissed for 89. Moeen Ali guided England to the finish, ending at 20* as they won by 4 wickets with 15 balls to spare.

Fall Of Wickets

1-0 (Roy, 0.2 ov)
2-35 (Hales, 8.5 ov)
3-147 (Morgan, 30.2 ov)
4-203 (Stokes, 37.5 ov)
5-219 (Buttler, 40.1 ov)
6-240 (Root, 44.4 ov)

Match Summary:

England with yet another comfortable win. Pakistan started off horribly and that was really the main cause of the loss at the end of the day. Sarfraz played an excellent knock and was ably supported by Imad Wasim, but when the top 3 batsmen make one run combined, it's hard for the rest. Due to the fall of wickets, Pakistan had to bat cautiously and finished with a below-part total. Joe Root played an excellent knock once again, showing his class as England never looked bothered in their chase. Pakistan have much work to do ahead of the third ODI and must improve in all areas in order to compete better.

Next Game:

3rd ODI at Nottingham, 30th August, 13:00 GMT.

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