Alex Hales leads dominant England to victory over Pakistan

Abu Dhabi: Riding on Alex Hales’s maiden One Day International century, England recorded a 95-run victory over Pakistan at Zayed Cricket Stadium to level the four match series 1-1. 

Chasing England’s impressive of total of 283 for 5, made through opener Hales’s 109 off 117 balls with seven boundaries and three sixes, Pakistan were bowled out for 188 in 45.5 overs.

England’s right arm medium pacer Chris Woakes picked up four wickets for 33 runs while left-arm pacer David Willey took three wickets for 25. Pakistan wicket keeper Sarfraz Ahmad cracked a fighting 64.

The third one-day match will be held on Tuesday at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan’s top order produced a horrendous batting performance in front of the large Friday crowd made up of mainly their fans.

Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Hales figured in two century partnerships. He put on 102 runs in the first 17.3 overs with Jason Roy (54) and another 114 runs in 21.2 overs with Joe Root (63) for the second wicket. Wahab Riaz was the only impressive Pakistan bowler with three wickets for 43 runs.

Pakistan needed a good start to chase a run rate of 5.66 runs per over. They lost opener Babar Azam to the first ball of the third over to left arm pacer David Willey who swung the ball in to trap him leg before for 4.

Mohammad Hafeez, their hero of the first match through his elegant century, edged Willey to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler for a duck.

Two down for just ten runs, debutant Iftikhar Ali joined his skipper Azhar Ali. Iftikhar scored just five runs before mistiming a pull shot off Woakes to Willey at mid-on who took a running catch.

Shoaib Malek on four was adjudged leg before but the review went in his favour.  However he did not last long, pulling Woakes to Taylor at mid-wicket for 13.

When skipper Azhar Ali also departed, dragging a Woakes delivery on to his wicket for his 50th ODI wicket, half the Pakistan side were back in the pavilion for 50 runs.

Soon after Mohammad Rizwan also departed after adding 30 runs for the sixth wicket with Sarfraz, the majority of the Pakistan crowd left the ground disappointed at their team destroying their holiday.

Sarfraz and Anwar Ali (23) gave some respect to the score through a 65 runs partnership for the seventh wicket.

England, after having lost the first match here mainly due to their poor batting, wanted a good start. Openers Hales and Roy lived up to the challenge.

Roy was the first to reach his half century, his third in ODIs. He played some elegant shots starting from his first boundary of the day off Mohammad Iran’s fifth delivery of the first over.

Roy square drove him between point and cover with absolute control. In the third over from Anwar Ali, Roy flicked away a good length delivery from off stump with brilliant timing. 

Hales too picked Mohammad Irfan’s short pitched delivery and pulled him elegantly in front of square. When Roy used his feet to hit Ali over mid-on, it became clear that the opening pair were set for a big partnership.

Pakistan introduced strike bowler Yasir Shah in the eighth over. Roy reverse swept Yasir’s third delivery over point for a boundary.

Wahab Riaz was introduced in the ninth over. With the first ball he made Hales edge wide of the lone slip to the boundary.

Hales picked up two boundaries off Yasir’s second over – the first was a well-timed sweep towards short fine leg and another a beautiful cover drive. Yasir was hit for 17 runs in the first two overs. 

Pakistan even tried a double spin attack by bringing in Shoaib Malek but Roy and Hales used their feet beautifully, preventing the spinners from dominating.

In the 18th over, Riaz finally gave the breakthrough. Roy, wanting to hit Riaz over the top, landed up being caught by Malek at mid-on for 54. His knock off 57 balls contained eight boundaries.

Hales, on 48, went for a pull and was surprisingly given out caught behind. The review proved the umpire wrong. Joe Root joined Hales and maintained the run flow. At the end of the 25th over, England were sitting pretty at 135 for 1.

Root played the second fiddle refusing to play any big shots. He scored his first boundary only after he hit 37 runs. Root on 31 was dropped by Riaz at short cover off Iftikhar Ahmad. Meanwhile, Hales hit Shah for two sixes in the 30th over.

Hales reached his century by paddle sweeping Iftikhar. It took him only 111 balls to reach his maiden ton. He also hit Iftikhar for his third six over long on but fell to the very next ball stumped by wicketkeeper Sarfraz. Hales and Root put on 114 runs in 21.2 overs.

England skipper Eoin Morgan joined Root. With the last ten overs to go England were 227, Morgan and Root put on 40 runs in six overs.

Root fell to Riaz attempting to swing him and getting bowled.

Riaz also clean bowled Jos Buttler with a deceiving slower delivery for 11. Morgan hit run-a-ball 29 runs before Mohammad Irfan high to Babar Azam at mid-wicket with just seven deliveries remaining in the innings.