A 117-run, 117-ball partnership between James Taylor and Jos Buttler decided the match in England’s favour after Pakistan’s innings slipped from quality to calamity
Buttler wears a massive grin as he’s high-fived off the field by his team-mates, even if the match ended just too soon for him to reach a half-century. His 117-ball, 117-run partnership with James Taylor was decisive, and with one game to play England lead 2-1. Pakistan bowled well in patches and batted fine for a while, but thanks to those comedy run-outs they just didn’t have enough runs on the board to give their bowlers any wriggle-room.
Anyway, that’s all from me. John Ashdown and Niall McVeigh will be here on Friday to take you through the final game of the series. Bye!
41st over: England 210-4 (Taylor 67, Buttler 49)
Taylor paddles the ball over his left shoulder for a couple, and England are just one big hit from victory. On Sky, Ian Botham speculates about which part of the stands the ball is about to be deposited into, inevitably presaging two straight-bat defensive prods and an only-because-of-a-misfield single. Still, at least Buttler’s read the script, and he immediately sends the ball over midwicket to end the match.
40th over: England 201-4 (Taylor 64, Buttler 43)
Anwar Ali returns, and given the total absence of close fielders Pakistan are pretty much waving a white flag. England are invited to tiptoe to victory a single at a time, and duly take five of them. They need eight to win.
Ridiculous stubbornness from a couple of key people. https://t.co/q2TTdMmcKn
39th over: England 196-4 (Taylor 61, Buttler 41)
“If Buttler can hang on until the end of this innings he’ll probably have done just enough, just in time,” writes John Starbuck, as Iftikhar bowls and another couple of singles are taken. “It won’t make up for his missed stampings but the batting is always important enough to matter.” He’s needed this innings, sure enough. The difference between the sides, though, is that only one of them surrendered three wickets by running about like absolute clowns.
38th over: England 194-4 (Taylor 60, Buttler 40)
Oh no! Taylor sweeps in the air and straight to Zafar, who lets the ball fly through his arms, and also his legs, and away for four! He incicates that he was blinded by the floodlights, but nothing’s going Pakistan’s way now. Otherwise, there’s a truckload of ones and a brief cameo for twos and the partnership is now worth 101 from 97 balls. England need 15 more runs, from 12 overs.
37th over: England 184-4 (Taylor 54, Buttler 36)
Zafar’s final over. He’s had a fine day, scoring a decent 15 with the bat and taking his first wicket in his first over of international cricket, and another one along the way. It won’t end in victory, though. England need 25 runs at 1.9 an over.
36th over: England 180-4 (Taylor 53, Buttler 33)
Again Irfan’s spell lasts a single over, with Malik replacing him now. Buttler hits his first ball for a single, and Taylor smites the second - another full toss - down the ground for six, the ball landing on the rope. A fine way to reach his half-century. Nine runs from the over, the partnership between Buttler and Taylor bringing 87 runs from 87 balls, rescuing England from a potentially rocky situation and leading them now to the brink of near-victory.
35th over: England 171-4 (Taylor 46, Buttler 31)
Zafar’s ninth over starts with another full toss, again not really punished, which perhaps explains why he bowls another one a little later. This one, though, is punched down the ground for four, which seems to have sent the Pakistan fans scurrying for the exits. England need 38 runs from 15 overs.
34th over: England 164-4 (Taylor 41, Buttler 29)
Irfan’s back, after a swift change of ends, and after a couple of singles Taylor hits one-handed over cover, with all nearby fielders inside the circle, and then he puls the next to Wahab, who misfields, diving and scooping the ball into the air, into his head and into the rope. The required run rate is down to 2.8 now.
33rd over: England 153-4 (Taylor 32, Buttler 27)
Zafar returns, and Buttler fails to capitalise on a loose full toss second ball, picking out a fielder. Still, he gets a single, the only one from an over that also includes an optimistic appeal, the ball having pitched way outside the line.
32nd over: England 152-4 (Taylor 32, Buttler 26)
Pakistan just won’t put their feet on England’s throats here. A diet of singles will do for the batting side, and it’s up to the fielders to do something to stop it. They get four here, in unhurried, unworried style, and Pakistan will go back to spin for a bit.
31st over: England 148-4 (Taylor 30, Buttler 24)
Irfan starts with something slow, wide and short, and Buttler gets nowhere near the pace of it. But he’s cranking slowly through the gears, and England milk four singles from the remainder of the over without really being troubled.
30th over: England 144-4 (Taylor 28, Buttler 22)
The batters seem to struggle with the change in pace, and Wahab gives them absolutely no freebies, bowling straight annd full. Just a single off the over, and Irfan’s coming back too.
29th over: England 143-4 (Taylor 28, Buttler 21)
England have six wickets and need 66 runs at just over three an over. Wahab is coming back now, and these are key overs in the game, with England a couple of wickets from a crisis, and a couple of good overs from a cakewalk.
28th over: England 140-4 (Taylor 27, Buttler 19)
Malik switches to over the wicket mid-over, whereupon Taylor immediately smites the ball over midwicket for six. Eleven off the over.
27th over: England 129-4 (Taylor 17, Buttler 18)
Azhar Ali gives himself a bowl and Taylor, perhaps deciding he should be punishing the part-timer, chases a wide, wide delivery and is lucky not to nick it. Azhar is still looking for his first ODI wicket, having bowled 14 overs this year alone (and eight previously), with an economy rate of 5.72. There are four singles and a wide here, which will reduce that a smidgeon.
26th over: England 124-4 (Taylor 14, Buttler 17)
Malik bowls, England take four singles. They need three and a half runs an over.
25th over: England 120-4 (Taylor 12, Buttler 15)
Buttler gets his first boundary of the day by nailing a reverse sweep, and enjoys it so much he does it again, finer this time. The two balls between the boundaries were extremely uncomfortable for the batsman, flying as they did just past the edge, but that’s an 11-run over, the second most expensive of the day, and England are 89 runs from victory at the half-way stage.
24th over: England 109-4 (Taylor 12, Buttler 4)
That sense of wild panic and endless possibilities that I mentioned a while back appears to have come back, with something of a vengeance. Malik continues despite a skid-induced bum-bruise, Buttler comes down the pitch and misses, but then so does Sarfraz.
23rd over: England 102-4 (Taylor 10, Buttler 0)
Zafar gets manic movement, and Taylor nudges it inadvertently between slip and keeper for four. He tries to sweep the next, but bottom0edges into the ground and up into the grille of his helmet. Then he tries to sweep again, more successfully this time, though Malik would have stopped it on the rope had he not slipped and fallen rather embarrassingly on his behind.
22nd over: England 93-4 (Taylor 1, Buttler 0)
Taylor sweeps for a single, and then Morgan cuts to a near-identical spot for two, bringing him back on strike for the fateful delivery. Engand are in trouble now. Buttler’s last five ODI innings brought 13, 4, 0, 1 and 11. Time for a big ‘un.
The captain’s gone! He misses this one by a mile, as it turns back past the bat and clips leg stump!
21st over: England 89-3 (Morgan 32, Taylor 0)
Hales sweeps low past Irfan, who makes another game but comically inept attempt to get down and stop the ball. Taylor comes in, and the last ball spins just past his bat, and also past the wicketkeeper, wide of slip, and away for two (I’m not totally sure this didn’t hit the bat, but Sky have it down as byes).
The breakthrough comes! And it’s another one for the debutant, as Hales hangs his bat out and Rizwan takes a good low catch at slip.
20th over: England 85-2 (Hales 28, Morgan 32)
The spinners are making the ball do all sorts of tricks, but they’re not taking wickets and England need only to score at a trickle to win this. Shoaib Malik’s over features two leg byes and a wide, which doesn’t help.
19th over: England 81-2 (Hales 27, Morgan 32)
Another reverse sweep from Morgan, and another four, before Zafar goes a little appeal-dizzy, first for a ball that hits Morgan way outside the line, and then for one that looked to be turning too much - though HawkEye suggests it might have clipped leg stump.
18th over: England 76-2 (Hales 27, Morgan 28)
Malik bowls, and Morgan reverse-sweeps beautifully to third man for four, but then nicks the penultimate delivery, which lands just short of slip, and the review follows off the last.
The ball flicked no more than trouser pocket, and Pakistan’s review is gone.
Pakistan appeal loudly, and call for a review when the umpire shakes his head.
17th over: England 71-2 (Hales 27, Morgan 23)
Wahab Riaz continues after a generous drinks break, and concedes a few singles and a leg-side-bouncer-related wide.
16th over: England 67-2 (Hales 26, Morgan 21)
There’s turn here for Shoaib Malik, who gets the ball to spin back past Morgan’s bat, the batsman fortunately keeping his back foot grounded. Four more runs are scored, all singles.
15th over: England 63-2 (Hales 24, Morgan 19)
A couple of singles for England, but if they’re not always scoring with wild abandon the sense of wild panic and endless possibilities that was abroad for a while has very much fled, for the time being at least.
14th over: England 61-2 (Hales 23, Morgan 18)
Hales, loving life without Irfan around to terrify him, sweeps for four, the ball just evading a desperate dive on the rope.
13th over: England 54-2 (Hales 19, Morgan 16)
Ooooh! Morgan takes a quick single to mid on, where the fielder collects the ball, throws and hits the stumps, and Pakistan are celebrating again - for at least as long as it takes the TV umpire to be certain that he was not out, just about. Another single later Wahab bowls a slow full toss, and England’s captain only just checks his stroke, getting nothing from it. The next, though, is pulled fine for four.
12th over: England 47-2 (Hales 18, Morgan 10)
Iftikhar’s first over brings five successive dots, and then a single off the last.
11th over: England 46-2 (Hales 18, Morgan 9)
Irfan, to the very great relief of Alex Hales, is hooked, and Wahab Riaz replaces him. He bowls short to Morgan, who despite taking a blow to the head from Irfan not long ago goes after it, and pulls it perfectly for four. The sides are pretty well matched on ye olde over comparison, with Pakistan having stood at 45-1 at this stage, though it was overs 24 onwards that really did for them.
10th over: England 41-2 (Hales 18, Morgan 4)
Hales gets a chance to face someone significantly less in-yer-face intimidating than Irfan, and duly smashes the ball over midwicket for six.
9th over: England 33-2 (Hales 11, Morgan 3)
Before Irfan bowls Morgan gets some physio attention, for the blow he took on the chin during Irfan’s last over. Then he bowls at Hales, who’s having an absolute stinker of a time against the gangly paceman here. He nervously survives the first two deliveries then pulls out of the third at the last moment when a security guard starts strolling around behind the bowler, leading to a bout of evil-stare-trading between batsman and bowler. Another fine over, just one run from it. “You googled ‘Hide the Rhino’?!?! You absolute mug – surely you know what that’s slang for? Delete your search history FAST,” writes Tom Adam. I’m innocent, honest guv.
8th over: England 32-2 (Hales 10, Morgan 3)
Dropped! Kind of! It’s another caught-and-bowled opportunity, and if the last went low and loopy, this flew fast into Zafar’s forearm, hitting him before he knew it was coming. Pakistan were 37 without loss at this stage of their innings, and this looks anything like a sure thing at the moment.
Joe Root 11(14) c Iftikhar Ahmed b Zafar Gohar https://t.co/fmXWIA5ZoD#PAKvENG#ENGvPAK#cricingifpic.twitter.com/eoMqnLvLz1
7th over: England 30-2 (Hales 9, Morgan 2)
Irfan continues, with a combination of great aggression, enormous quality and outstanding height. He sends in a short ball that hits Morgan on the helmet, gets an official warning for running on the pitch, then there’s a cutter that Hales pushes at and misses, and another that moves away a fraction as Hales plays and misses. Lovely bowling.
Zafar strikes with the big wicket of Root!! #PAKvENG#PakvEng#EngvsPak#ENGvPAK
6th over: England 28-2 (Hales 9, Morgan 1)
Some early spin action, courtesy of debutant Zafar Gohar, and it brings near-instant reward.
A full-toss from debutant spinner Zafar Gohar which Root sends flying to deep midwicket, where the fielder catches it a couple of feet above his head! Root didn’t have long to celebrate this landmark tonight:
Adding three tonight means @root66 has 2000 runs in all formats in 2015. What a stellar 12 months #classpic.twitter.com/w9Hxieftn8
5th over: England 23-1 (Hales 8, Root 8)
Dropped! It’s another leading edge, this time from Hales, and the ball loops straight back to the bowler. Fortunately for England it reaches the bowler at ankle height, and the bowler involved is seven feet tall - Irfan gets fingertips to it, but no more. Then Root fends a short ball into the air, but there’s nobody at short leg to catch it. This is a mean old over from a bowler who’s out to prove, well, something. Definitely something. Two singles from it.
4th over: England 21-1 (Hales 7 Root 7)
Anwar Ali’s final delivery is a bit short, a bit all-round not great and Root pulls it away for four. “I remember biorhythms well,” writes John Starbuck, as Hales gets a thick edge that flies well wide of slip. “They were one of the first ways computer engineers tried to convince their lay colleagues in the early 1970s that computers could be interesting*. Everyone on the staff got theirs sent to them as a giant printout and managers were instructed to study them to avoid overloading people with work at the wrong time. Didn’t last. *The alternative was one of the first (mainframe) computer games, Hide the Rhino: much like Battleships.” Even Google’s never heard of Hide the Rhino.
3rd over: England 13-1 (Hales 5 Root 1)
Irfan is such a ludicrously-shaped human. Just to see him run past the umpire, whose head barely reaches his shoulder (and he’s wearing a hat) is to be reminded of the wonderful randomness of life.
Jason Roy 7(6) c Shoaib Malik b Mohammad Irfan https://t.co/CSrK6xaHE7#PAKvENG#ENGvPAK#cricingifpic.twitter.com/zY8VXsjwsy
First one down! The ball holds up off the turf and Hales gets a leading edge to cover! Pakistan celebrate in the manner of a team that’s still pretty sure they can win.
2nd over: England 12-0 (Roy 7, Hales 5)
Anwar Ali bowls over two, and his second ball is flicked by Hales to Irfan at backward square leg, who takes so long to get down that by the time he does the ball is past him and on its way to the rope. Given the quality of his batting and his fielding, Irfan’s bowling pretty much has to be amazing.
1st over: England 8-0 (Roy 7, Hales 1)
The first ball of the innings is sent between point and cover for four, and England are on their way. “If England go 2-1 up in this four ODI series, is it cowardly to pray for a sandstorm?” wonders Tom Ireland. Not cowardly, as such, but perhaps - given the state of Pakistan’s batting here - a bit of a waste of prayer-tokens.
The players are back out, England chasing 209, Mohammad Irfan holding the ball. Action imminent.
“I can only watch this today in random 10-minute bursts and every time I switch on, something absolutely preposterous happens. Riotous comedy cricket,” writes Robert Wilson. “But Nasser’s being a little harsh about the Pakistan team. I think their biorhythms are low. Do you remember biorhythms? Can we bring them back? I loved biorhythms. They were my best excuse since ‘a flock of swans stole my homework’.” I’m afraid my biorhythm knowledge is low, but they sound, well, like a totally invented cod-scientific excuse-generator, and who doesn’t like those?
Always worth following your local paper, if only for the occasional lovely only-in-the-locals headlines. In today’s Watford Observer: “Nightmarish tale of couple surrounded by horses”. Apparently they were surrounded by horses.
“I’d just like one OBO to not have any voodoo, jinxing etc talk,” begs Jack Pearce. “Ever since I first tuned in (admittedly at the start of the summer, so not as avid as some followers) it’s been more hocus-pocus focused than Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook. Can’t we just have faith in our players? I know it’s England but come on!” I’ll do my very best to nix my jinxing. No promises.
Sky have generously put highlights of the day’s play thus far online here (presumably only for UK-based viewers, or people who can convince their computers that they’re UK-based)
Hello world!
Some choice cuts from Nasser Hussain on Sky, discussing Pakistan’s batting display:
So England need 209 to win. It’ll be slightly tricky on such a slow pitch against Pakistan’s spinners, but they’ll be confident of chasing it. They bowled very, very well from the middle overs onwards there, although Pakistan were guilty of throwing their wickets away as well. Bat sensibly and England will get home without too many problems.
Now having jinxed them, I’ll take my leave. Simon Burnton is yer man from here on in. Bye!
50th over: Pakistan 208 (Wahab 33) It’s Woakes with the final over. He’s had a lot of success with the short ball today, but begins the over with a wide half volley that Wahab slaps effortlessly over mid off for six. Woakes thinks he has his man next ball and the umpire agrees, but Wahab calls for the review straight away and it only takes one replay. Ha, and then the very same next ball! Not a great over this for umpire JD Cloete. Wahab steps across and shovels the next ball to square leg for a single, bringing Irfan on strike. He’s gone first ball and Woakes finishes with excellent figures of 4-40.
Goes for the big mow and doesn’t get near the ball, losing his off stump to a yorker.
Next ball it’s another yorker, this one hitting Wahab flush on the boot. It’s in line with leg stump, but there’s a chance this is going down. Ha! It is and the decision is overturned again!
This is not a duplicate entry.
It is overturned.
Given out, but this will be overturned as he whacked the leather off the yorker.
49th over: Pakistan 201-9 (Wahab 26, Irfan 0) So with Irfan having survived, Wahab is going to get a crack at Willey for six balls. The former (sob) Northants man pulls is length back and Wahab top edges, but the ball lands safely. He cracks the next ball down to long off, but opts not to run. This is a bit silly now. Another short one and this time it’s heaved horribly over cow corner for six. That’s the 200 up and a single off the last means Wahab will have the strike for the final over.
48th over: Pakistan 194-9 (Wahab 19, Irfan 0) Topley again and Wahab misses out on a full toss, mistiming it down the ground and getting none. He doesn’t miss out on the next one though, smearing a length ball from well outside off, over midwicket and into the stands for six! He goes again next ball, picks out Root at deep square... but he drops it tumbling forward! Irfan is on strike and gets a waist-high full toss to begin with. Bear in mind that Irfan’s waist is at about the same height as James Taylor. The giant No11 blocks out the over. Booo!
47th over: Pakistan 187-9 (Wahab 12, Irfan 0) Woakes comes back and Zafar lifts him up and back over his head; Taylor – I think – does very well to reel it back in and save a couple though. He goes two balls later though, ending a brief but sparkly innings and a handy 26-run partnership. That’s three for Woakes, all from short balls. I have to say, he’s been the pick of the England seamers today.
Zafar backs away and looks to club a short ball over mid on. He gets a thick edge on it though and Buttler takes an easy catch behind.
46th over: Pakistan 185-8 (Wahab 12, Zafar 13) Topley cuts Wahab in half with a lovely slower ball out the back of the hand. A couple of balls later, Zafar gets into position early and scoops/shovels a low full toss over his shoulder and down to long leg for a couple. He screws the next one over the top of mid off for a single.
45th over: Pakistan 181-8 (Wahab 11, Zafar 10) Wahab cuts the first ball of the over away for a single, bringing the 20-year-old Zafar on strike against Willey. He looks to lift him up and over square leg, doesn’t get hold of it, but sees the ball land short of the man in the deep. He wants two, but is wisely sent back by Wahab. Another single, then Zafar hits the first boundary in 19 overs as he mullers a length ball miles over long on for a massive six!
@DanLucas86 Reading about these runouts I'm wondering whether Pakistan have employed Nasser Hussain as their running coach.
44th over: Pakistan 172-8 (Wahab 9, Zafar 3) As Botham points out on the telly, England’s bowlers have varied their pace well. It’s been very clever stuff on this dead wicket and has stopped Pakistan’s batsmen from ever really settling into a groove. Another hasty single and Wahab is inches away from being run out by mid on... oh then Taylor sends in a good throw from third man but, with the batsman short of his ground coming back for a second, Buttler fumbles it behind the stumps!
43rd over: Pakistan 167-8 (Wahab 5, Zafar 2) Regarding that last run out, Shoaib Malik’s turning circle was quite hilarious. As has been much of this innings, if you consider “hilarious” and “pathetic” synonyms. David Willey is into the attack as England look to wrap this up quickly. Five from the over as Pakistan nudge the run rate back up towards a mighty four.
A third inexplicable run-out of the innings accounts for Shoaib. So that's now 5 skied catches, three needless run-outs...
42nd over: Pakistan 162-8 (Wahab 2, Zafar 0) England carry on with Topley, but quite frankly they could bowl me here and Pakistan would contrive to run themselves out. Zafar Gohar on debut is the new man. The left-hander clubs his second ball straight to the fielder at mid on – Roy, I think – and calls for the single. Luckily for Wahab, he realises his mistake quickly enough and sends him back in time to avoid a fourth run out.
Anwar nurdles it straight to Jordan at silly mid on and calls Malik through for a run. Halfway through he realises just how stupid an idea that is and sends the senior batsman back. Far, far too late.
41st over: Pakistan 160-7 (Wahab 1, Malik 15) A change of ends for Woakes, who has three left and a frankly heroic two for 28 from his seven so far. The batsmen are just milking him, guiding the ball down to third man and rotating the strike. 16 overs now since the last boundary. We nearly get one here, via overthrows from Roy, but Taylor flings himself to his left and once again pulls off a very good stop, this time backing up.
40th over: Pakistan 157-7 (Wahab 0, Malik 13) Topley comes back on for Woakes. The more times you watch that missed stumping by Buttler the worse it looks – Anwar was out of his crease for a long old time. Still, he’s gone now without adding to his score, so Jos will be a relieved man. The batsmen crossed, so Malik is on strike, and he goes for a big mow but can only drag it along the floor to midwicket for one. Pakistan will do well/England will do badly to get/concede 200 from here.
Anwar takes a step down the wicket, looking to turn it into a half-volley, and smashes the ball a long long way up in the air rather than over midwicket as the bat twists in his hands. Ali takes it easily on the edge of the circle.
39th over: Pakistan 156-6 (Anwar 7, Malik 12) Rashid’s final over now. He beats Anwar all ends up with a beautiful, tossed up looping delivery, but Buttler fumbles it and badly, badly misses the stumping, fumbling the spinning, high bouncing ball. Really should have made it though. Rashid finishes with 1-51.
38th over: Pakistan 153-6 (Anwar 5, Malik 11) Pakistan’s run rate is now hovering just above four and heading in the wrong direction. Not what you want with just 12 overs to go. Just three singles from this over won’t help, either.
I have to say, that Hawkeye projection did look odd to me.
According to Hawkeye, impact was umpires call... #bullshit#PAKvENGpic.twitter.com/p7PmYoBTSh
37th over: Pakistan 150-6 (Anwar 3, Malik 10) With Moeen bowled out, Morgan opts to keep going with spin and gives it back to Rashid, who has two left. He has a shout for lbw against Anwar, but there was a good-sized inside edge on that one. Then a misfield from the godawful, useless clown Woakes allows the batsmen two when there should only have been one. What a chump, eh? A couple more singles takes Pakistan up to 150.
@DanLucas86 thats nothing; I remember watching an Ipswich Town game a few years ago where the ball went from Clapham to Venus. #PAKvENG
Googly from Rashid turns back past the inside edge and strikes him in front of middle and leg. I think this will be umpire’s call on leg stump... in fact no, it’s umpire’s call on impact outside off, and was bouncing high and going down leg by a distance.
Given not out, but it’s close...
36th over: Pakistan 146-6 (Anwar 0, Malik 9) Everyone’s favourite, Chris Woakes returns in a bid to prove me wrong. He goes up enthusiastically for lbw against Malik, but does so on his own. It was a decent shout, actually, as his off cutter did clip the pad before going on to the bat. It might have been a bit high though. Yep, high and just outside the line of off. No matter though, as he strikes just two balls later.
B. Dean is unhappy with my 33rd over entry:
Moeen again and another wicket gifted to England, whom you’d make favourites from here.
Another good bouncer from the extraordinarily talented Chris Woakes, another top-edged hook and another catch for Root, running round to the square leg boundary and looking safe as ‘ouses underneath it.
35th over: Pakistan 144-5 (Iftikhar 3, Malik 7) A few of you now have pointed out the Yemen/Jordan joke I unforgivably missed. Thanks for that. Moeen is into his last over here and he’s through it in a flash, conceding just a couple of singles and finishing with figures of 10-0-30-1, with just two boundaries conceded and 37 dot balls sent down. Very well bowled.
34th over: Pakistan 142-5 (Iftikhar 2, Malik 6) The last 25 balls have seen Pakistan lose – and yes they’ve very much lost them rather than England taking them – three for eight. More singles milked, but England won’t mind – they haven’t conceded a boundary in the last nine overs. Four from the over.
33rd over: Pakistan 138-5 (Iftikhar 0, Malik 4) Moeen again and another wicket gifted to England, whom you’d make favourites from here. Iftikhar Ahmed is the new batsman and he nearly presents Moeen with a return catch via the leading edge first ball.
This is dire. Rizwan turns one to the fielder square on the on side and jogs off while ball watching. He’s halfway down the track when he realises Malik isn’t coming, turns and watches Buttler whip the bails off.
Cannot believe I missed this. As Simon James points out: “When Sarfraz got out, you say he was trying to launch it Yemen. However he misdirected it and hit as far as Jordan”
32nd over: Pakistan 137-4 (Rizwan 1, Malik 3) The lights are on now. This is all going rather nicely for England, although the ball is sticking in the pitch a bit and they could still struggle to chase anything north of 230. Rizwan gets off the mark with a push through cover, before Shoaib Malik bottom edges a muscular pull out to midwicket for one. There’s nothing at all in this pitch now.
Gareth Fitzgerald outs himself as a Woakes sympathiser: “He has taken six wickets in an ODI twice. Paul Collingwood did it once, but that’s it for six-fers in that form for England. In ODI, neither he nor Stokes really have much to write home about. 30-odd ODIS each, both averaging mid-30s with ball and late teens with bat. Bah! Sack ‘em all!”
31st over: Pakistan 135-4 (Rizwan 0, Malik 2) Moeen into his eighth over on the, er, spin. He gets Sarfraz, who had been playing well up until that stupid shot, and we could be on the verge of a patented Pakistani batting collapse.
This is poor. Sarfraz comes charging down the pitch and looks to launch it somewhere towards Yemen. He doesn’t get hold of it and sends it tumbling down the throat of Jordan at deep mid on.
30th over: Pakistan 134-3 (Sarfraz 26, Malik 1) Sarfraz pulls out the sweep against Willey and there’s half a shout for leg before. It came off his gloves and went down to long leg, allowing the batsmen just enough time to get the single. Willey strikes though, removing the set batsman and, for the third time, a Pakistan partnership ends in the 40s.
Hafeez misreads the pace of the off cutter completely. He tries to turn it round the corner, the ball loops up off the top edge and sails up and out to Root at deep midwicket. Root applies the formalities.
29th over: Pakistan 130-2 (Sarfraz 25, Hafeez 44) Moeen continues. A single from his first ball, a single from his last but not a jot in between. You feel like we’re about five overs away from something happening here.
“Ah, anniversaries are just another scam dreamed up by card companies to make us spend money,” writes the presumably single Matt Dony. “Bah, humbug. You’re better off this way. Don’t feel things. Keep it all locked deep, deep inside.”
28th over: Pakistan 128-2 (Sarfraz 24, Hafeez 43) Now we do get a left-arm seamer, but it’s Willey rather than Topley. You would imagine these batsmen will want to go after the seamer sooner rather than later after getting tied up by spin in the last few overs. He begins with a wide down the leg side, but the rest of the over is pretty nondescript – a slower ball dug into Hafeez’s ribs the closest to a noteworthy incident it bears.
The extra special edition of The Spin I mentioned earlier has dropped. It’s an excerpt from the new book, Benaud in Wisden, by none other than OBO demigod Rob Smyth.
Related: Richie Benaud: cricket’s best friend – as all-rounder, captain and commentator
27th over: Pakistan 122-2 (Sarfraz 21, Hafeez 41) Topley was warming up a few overs ago, but there’s no sign of him yet. Instead Moeen continues with a very nice over, conceding just one run. Only nine from the last four.
In the interest of balance, here’s Jeremy Smith with some actual facts. Not that we’re interested in that kind of thing around here:
26th over: Pakistan 121-2 (Sarfraz 20, Hafeez 41) Hafeez looks to go big but can’t get hold of it, clubbing to mid on for a single. Sarfraz then moves ahead of his partner in the four-hitting stakes with a good hard drive against the spin and through extra cover, to the rope. Another single, then Taylor makes back-to-back excellent stops at backward point to save a few more runs. He’s been outstanding there today.
25th over: Pakistan 115-2 (Sarfraz 15, Hafeez 40) England have pulled this back a bit. Pakistan are still looking to rotate the strike, but they’ve cut out the boundary balls. Two from the over and we’re halfway through the innings already.
24th over: Pakistan 113-2 (Sarfraz 14, Hafeez 39) This is nicer from Rashid – three dots in a row including a leg break that turns just a hair’s breadth past the outside edge. Make that five dots... six as Hafeez blocks out the googly. The first maiden of the innings, I believe.
23rd over: Pakistan 113-2 (Sarfraz 14, Hafeez 39) Hafeez clubs over the top of mid on again, but doesn’t get hold of it and they only get one. That brings Sarfraz on strike and he nails another very nice sweep shot up and over square for four. Hafeez then mistimes another drive, which just flicks the fingertip of Willey diving spectacularly to his left at mid off.
Some cruel, but probably correct emails have come in saying Woakes is playing the Luke Wright or Jamie Dalrymple role in this team.
22nd over: Pakistan 104-2 (Sarfraz 9, Hafeez 35) With a new batsman in we’re continuing with spin, although Hafeez has been dominant against Rashid so far – the Yorkshireman has gone for 6.5 an over so far. A quicker ball takes the top edge of Sarfraz’s cut and bobbles away through the vacant slip region, but Taylor chases it down and keeps them to two as the ball slows up in the outfield.
21st over: Pakistan 101-2 (Sarfraz 7, Hafeez 34) Pakistan just look a little nervous now, as Moeen finds good turn back into the right hander and beats Hafeez’s attempted cut. “Catch it” is the cry when Sarfraz sweeps in the air from outside off, but it flies past Morgan like a rocket, he doesn’t have time to react and it’s away for the four runs that bring up the 100.
20th over: Pakistan 95-2 (Sarfraz 2, Hafeez 33) A wicket from nowhere for England and it’s a very useful one, breaking a 47-run partnership. That’s the fourth time Azhar has been run out in the last eight ODIs, according to Sir Iron Bottom.
“If you look at Woakes’ numbers in the first-class game,” writes Gareth Fitzgerald, they’re pretty phenomenal. Bats 37, bowls 25. Can’t help but feel he’s more suited to red-ball than white-ball, as his List A numbers are poor. Do you not see Stokes as a batsman who bowls and Woakes as a bowler who bats though?”
See what I mean about throwing wickets away? Hafeez cuts a leg break behind square and sets off for a single, but Taylor makes an excellent stop at backward point. He flings it back into Buttler and Azhar was already turning round to berate his partner – even though it was his call – before he got in the shot.
19th over: Pakistan 92-1 (Azhar 36, Hafeez 32) We’re back and Moeen Ali is bowling once again. And once again the batsmen are finding the singles far, far too easy to come by – England have exerted absolutely no pressure today and the only wicket came from a badly chosen shot. The rattle of stumps almost makes me feel like an idiot, but it ricocheted off Buttler’s gloves with the batsman’s back foot well grounded.
Further to the below on Woakes, I feel like the coaches are seduced by the extra pace he has over Stokes, but I don’t think it’s threatening enough to warrant his ongoing security in the team.
Ian Copestake writes: “Let me add to the waves of good feeling sweeping the OBO hoards on this day of days for your good lady and yourself. I am sure the soulless office in which you sit is enlivened by the love you are keen to celebrate.”
18th over: Pakistan 88-1 (Azhar 33, Hafeez 31) It looks like these two might want to get stuck into Rashid, as Azhar drives him expansively through cover for a single. Then Hafeez confirms that theory, by going down on one knee and slog-sweeping from outside off deep into the stand at midwicket for six. That’s drinks.
“Interesting with Woakes,” writes Henry Lubienski. “His statistics don’t seem to warrant the level of loyalty shown by 3 coaches. But they can’t all be wrong – can they?” I guess he’s been seen as the least bad all-rounder for a while now. I can’t fathom why you’d have him ahead of Stokes though.
17th over: Pakistan 79-1 (Azhar 31, Hafeez 24) Spin from both ends as Morgan tosses the ball to Moeen Ali. Both batsmen happy to step across to off and rotate the strike, adding three – all in singles – to their total as they do so.
16th over: Pakistan 76-1 (Azhar 29, Hafeez 23) England might have been hoping that Rashid would at least look a bit more threatening on this pitch. As it is, he’s being easily milked for singles; one of them here, but then just as I write that Hafeez mistimes a lofted drive a foot or so over the man at mid on for four lucky, lucky runs. He goes big off the next ball too, clubbing one out the slot, straight down the ground and a few inches over the rope for six. Two more singles take the tally for the over up to 13 – the highest of the innings.
Mark Lewis asks: “Apologies to hear of your truncated anniversary (the blame of which lies firmly at Branson’s door, it seems) This does lead me to wonder whether an anniversary has ever been cut short for a more inauspicious occasion?”
15th over: Pakistan 63-1 (Azhar 27, Hafeez 12) Four runs! Hafeez gives it a bit of a hump, up and over extra cover and safely to the boundary. A couple of singles in that over too.
“Hello Dan, and my condolences on the Anniversary,” writes Harvey Lock. “The absence of Stokes is showing itself here, would be very handy to have that extra seamer in the side. Having said that I’m not sure who he’d replace. Is there any news on his shoulder? Is he going to be fit in time of SA?”
14th over: Pakistan 57-1 (Azhar 26, Hafeez 7) It’s a fairly intriguing contest this, I suppose. There are runs to be had as it seems wickets will only fall (a) if you give them away or (b) one of the England bowlers produces something special that they don’t look capable of bowling. They’re just not there to be scored quickly, even when Rashid chucks down miserable full tosses as he does here to Hafeez, but the batsman can only get one down to long off. Four singles, including a very nicely swept one from the final ball.
13th over: Pakistan 53-1 (Azhar 24, Hafeez 5) Couple of singles, then Root wears an awkwardly bobbling Azhar drive on his knee, leaving him limping. Then another single.
Ravi Nair disagrees with my cinematic critique. Is there anyone out there interested in this cricket match, or did my preamble put you off?
@DanLucas86 Forgot to say it earlier - yes, happy fourth anniversary Dan and Liz! Now stop trolling about James Bond films!
12th over: Pakistan 50-1 (Azhar 22, Hafeez 4) England switch to spin now as Rashid is rewarded for that catch with a bowl. Azhar nudeges into the on side for a single first ball to bring the new man, the in-form Mohammad Hafeez, on strike and the Test opener steps back and drives through cover for two straight away. He’s beaten by a quicker one two balls later though, hte ball going straight on and missing off stump by a couple of inches. Hafeez responds by going over the top – he doesn’t time it, but mid on is up and the chip lands safely over his head, allowing the batsmen two.
11th over: Pakistan 45-1 (Azhar 21) Woakes continues as Rashid warms up. He bangs one in that Azhar thinks about playing at but pulls out, allowing it to fly over his shoulder. Just a couple of singles from the over, before Babar throws away his comfortable start off the last ball.
A good bouncer, outside off and Babar can’t resist; he gets a top edge and Rashid holds on comfortably at long leg.
10th over: Pakistan 43-0 (Azhar 20, Babar Azam 21) I’ll confess: I generously gave Azhar an extra run in that last over when typing the score. Refresh the page and it’ll correct. He gets it for himself in this over, before Babar misses out on a juicy full toss that he can only knock to the fielder at short fine leg. One more, then Azhar jogs down the track and misses out with an airy drive outside off at a bumper. Totally the wrong shot that, but nothing much happens. That’s the end of the powerplay. To reiterate, I cut my anniversary celebrations short for this. Sorry, Liz.
9th over: Pakistan 41-0 (Azhar 19, Babar Azam 20)“Bring the excitement of Spectre straight to your home” implores the inbetween-overs advert on the telly. I walked out after the first hour of Spectre, as it made the (rubbish) last Bond film look like Die Hard. Azhar flicks the first ball, a bumper, over his shoulder for a single to long leg. Another short one, this time the batsman ducks under it and it’s called a wide – England aren’t happy but it’s a fair call. Two more to Babar Azam, driven nicely on the up through mid off; only four from the over, but England look short of ideas.
8th over: Pakistan 37-0 (Azhar 18, Babar Azam 18) Topley, who looks like Steve Finn if he could grow facial hair, continues and, after Azhar drives for a single, he floats a slower ball very wide outside off; Babar waits on it and drives hard, but can only pick out the man at cover. Couple more singles from the next two then the final ball is driven straight back down the ground perfectly for four more.
7th over: Pakistan 30-0 (Azhar 16, Babar Azam 13) Change of bowling, earlier than you’d perhaps expect, as England turn to the extra pace of Chris Woakes. Yeah it was depressing writing that sentence. After Babar nudges him for a single, Azhar charges down the track and whacks a length ball miles over mid off for six – the very epitome of inelegant but effective, that. Another single, flicked to mid on, makes it eight from the over and 15 from the last two.
6th over: Pakistan 22-0 (Azhar 9, Babar Azam 12) Wide from Topley this time and Babar clubs it fairly elegantly through extra cover for four. The bowler gets a touch enthusiastic fielding the next delivery, accidentally bumping into Azhar and causing the batsman to drop his bat. They complete the single comfortably though, as they do from the next two balls. The second of those should really have been four, a low full toss on leg stump, but Babar could only pick out the fielder at deep square leg.
5th over: Pakistan 15-0 (Azhar 8, Babar Azam 6) Willey drops too short and Babar Azam slaps it hard through cover point, but it’s a very slow outfield and the shot isn’t perfectly timed, so they just get a couple. Another single, out to deep midwicket this time, then Azhar is a lucky boy as he thrashes at a good length ball and inside edges inches past his off stump. It’s very difficult to time it out there and we can expect a low-scoring match today I’ll wager.
4th over: Pakistan 12-0 (Azhar 8, Babar Azam 3) A fish and a miss first up, to one that moves just a fraction away from the right-hander. Topley responds by chucking away a run – fielding a good straight drive, feigning to throw down the stumps, but then accidentally releasing the ball and sending it trickling to square leg and allowing the batsmen to dash through. One more to mid on next ball, then the final ball brings an edge that drops short of the two slips, where Morgan makes a good diving stop to his right.
3rd over: Pakistan 10-0 (Azhar 7, Babar Azam 2) Azhar skews an attempted drive off the edge to backward point, but along the ground. Two balls later we get the first boundary of the day as Willey goes a bit too full and gives Azhar a juicy half volley outside off, which the batsman drives classily through extra cover for four. One more from the final ball, a nice push standing tall on the back foot to mid off.
2nd over: Pakistan 5-0 (Azhar 2, Babar Azam 2) As you’d expect, Topley has it at the other end. His first ball is followed down the leg side by Azhar, to a cry of “catch it” from a solitary fielder. Catch it, Buttler does, but the bat was nowhere near ball and it’s a wide. The next one is slanted across the right-hander, who drives and misses by a long way. As has been the case throughout this series, Pakistan’s captain doesn’t look to be reading the pace very well. A nudge to mid on brings him a quick single, then Babar Azam is struck on the pad by a full one on leg – he gets a thick inside edge on it though, and that’s enough to send it down to fine leg for two, then Morgan makes a good diving stop at mid off to save his side four runs.
1st over: Pakistan 1-0 (Azhar 1, Babar Azam 0) Willey starts with one that swings just a touch, outside the right-hander’s off stump and it’s just guided gently through cover for one. The following two are blocked and left respectively, before Babar turns one off his leg stump and round the corner, where Rashid makes a nice diving stop to keep him from getting a run. Just the one from the over.
We’re about to get going. David Willey with the new ball.
Heh.
Retiring in the middle of a series? Disgusting!
JJ Roy, AD Hales, JE Root, EJG Morgan*, JC Buttler†, JWA Taylor, MM Ali, CR Woakes, AU Rashid, DJ Willey, RJW Topley
I'm sorry but what the hell is that standing behind Eoin Morgan pic.twitter.com/Rg4PDLxSPj
Jonathan’s not a Star Wars fan, as I’m pretty sure that thing’s the new Jar Jar Binks.
Just the one change for Pakistan, as Zafar Gohar comes in for his international debut in place of the injured Yasir. Eoin Morgan says England are unchanged.
No surprises there.
Nowt to do with the cricket, but it’s the first email of the day and it comes from Phil Sawyer. “Hi Dan. Virgin really are the worst. Unfortunately, you can’t even hold the threat of ‘Well I’ll take my business elsewhere’ over them as from experience they tend to get in there first. They pre-empted me earlier this year by sending me a letter that essentially said ‘we can’t be arsed to service the flats where you live anymore’ and bundled me off to Talk Talk without me asking.”
According to Bumble on Sky, there’s no pace at all in this pitch, which is likely to spin a fair ol’ bit. You wonder, then, if England might be regretting not having Samit Patel in their squad especially considering he played in the Test here. He didn’t have the best match with the ball then, admittedly, but he’s a fine player of spin bowling and is a handy third spinner in ODI cricket, albeit with a pretty poor bowling record on the subcontinent, where you would expect a spinner to do better.
We’ll have full team news around 10.30am GMT but, according to Cricinfo, the leggie is definitely missing this one. England played him very well in the last ODI, but that will still be a relief for them given this is being played on the same pitch that he tormented them on during the Test series.
I won’t give anything away, but we have an extra special edition of The Spin coming out later today. I believe it’s sitting with the subs right now, but you should sign up for it right here.
Nothing to do with this match, but over at the Waca Australia and New Zealand have shaken hands on a draw in the eighth-highest scoring Test match in history. That means that Mitchell Johnson – a man who perhaps made an inauspicious start to his Test career but ended with a quite marvellous one – will no longer be around to terrify Test batsmen around the world. As an English cricket fan, I’ll simultaneously miss him and be glad to see him gone.
Related: Mitchell Johnson: a bowler who at his peak was capable of remarkable feats | Russell Jackson
Morning, folks. Why are we here? What’s
life cricket all about? Is god really real? Or is there some doubt? Well
tonight today we’re going to sort it all out. For
tonight today, it’s the
Meaning of Life third of four ODIs between Pakistan and England in the UAE.
Hello. Dan will be here shortly for today’s match, the third one-day international of the four-match series between England and Pakistan. It’s finely poised at 1-1, and England’s James Taylor is feeling confident after England’s impressive victory in the second game of the series:
“This is the most I’ve enjoyed my cricket for a long time now. It’s great to be playing with these guys; they’re super-talented and it’s good to be among them,” Taylor said on the eve of the match, adding that this was a confident group who were eager to learn – not a bad combination.
Taylor was asked about the problem of facing the 7ft tall Mohammad Irfan. From Taylor’s stance there may be times when Irfan’s hand is above the sightscreen. As with most obstacles he meets Taylor was inclined to make light of this. “I don’t look at what’s going on behind. I try to look at the ball as much as possible, so I haven’t had a problem – but I’ll use anything as an excuse down the line if I need it.”
Continue reading...