Published: Nov 18, 2015, 09:57 AM (IST)
Edited: Nov 18, 2015, 09:57 AM (IST)
England and Pakistan were involved in a battle for the third One-Day International (ODI) at Sharjah that had its moments of intense competitiveness but ultimately ended in a lop-sided finish in favour of the visitors. With that win England have gone up 2-1 in the four match series and have secured a position in the series such that they cannot lose the series now. The match saw some great individual performances that ultimately played big roles in determining the course of the match. Rishad D’Souza picks out these moments that defined the game. LIVE SCORECARD: Pakistan vs England, 3rd ODI at Sharjah
False start for Pakistan: Pakistan never quite looked settle early in the first innings with Azhar Ali showing obvious signs of struggle. Babar Azam at the other end looked far more convincing but just when the partnership was on the brink of evolving into a frustrating one, England made the breakthrough to get rid of Azam. It was Chris Woakes who made the first breakthrough. ALSO READ: James Taylor fifty facilitates England’s 6-wicket victory against Pakistan in 3rd ODI at Sharjah
Mohammad Hafeez brings hope: The man-in-form Hafeez looked in good touch right from the onset. He timed the ball well and looked quite comfortable against all bowlers with particular liking for Adil Rashid. He was however bogged down by Moeen Ali later in the innings. His form spread to his partner Azhar to an extent and the latter started looking a tad more comfortable too, but he got caught in a horrible running mix up and was run out for 36.
Hafeez wicket triggers collapse: After Rashid was taken out of the attack and Azhar fell, there was a direct impact on Hafeez’s scoring. He became tied down and subsequently his innings slowed down to a painful rate. Ultimately he was prised out by David Willey five runs short of his fifty. His wicket ushered in a fresh episode of the ‘Grand Pakistani Collapse’. Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Anwar Ali and Shoaib Malik fell in quick succession.
Fight by tail: Wahab Riaz was resolute in a time of adversity and resolved to bat on till the end. He struck six massive sixes and remained unbeaten till the end. He scored a 35-ball 33. Mohammad Irfan was the last wicket to fall in the 50th over with Pakistan having 208 runs on the board. Riaz was the second highest contributor to the score.
Chris Woakes gets another four-for: After a crucial four-for in the previous game, Woakes cemented his return to form with identical number of wickets in the third ODI too. After the early wicket of Babar Azam, he dismissed Iftikhar Ahmed, Zafar Gohar and Mohammad Irfan. His effort ensured Pakistan did not make a comeback into the contest.
Positive start for Pakistan: In defence of a small total Pakistan needed early breakthroughs and they got just that thanks to some hostile bowling from Mohammad Irfan upfront that softened the batsmen. Jason Roy fell to Irfan for seven runs and Joe Root fell with 11 runs to his name to debut spinner Zafar Gohar. It was a horrible full toss he got out to but his shot selection was a result of being softened by some great short-pitched bowling by Irfan.
Hales-Morgan partnership: Alex Hales was never quite in optimal form but gave support to Eoin Morgan who appeared for more sublime. The duo added a crucial 60 runs together before Pakistan gave England another scare. In that period Morgan was quite flawless and Hales was scratchy yet effective.
Pakistan spinners deliver final scare: The 60-run partnership was broken by Zafar Gohar who finally managed to get the edge of a nervy Hales to first slip of a sharp-turner. Morgan’s wicket fell soon after to Malik who bowled him comprehensively. This period of vicious turn left England rattled and it suddenly looked like the spinners with ruin the party for England.
James Taylor combines with Jos Buttler to avert disaster and seal game: James Taylor was sublime in his approach against the upbeat spinners bolstered by the belief that they had a real chance of a win in the game after the dual strike. He was faultless in his play and cashed in on anything loose to keep the pressure on the spinners. Buttler survived a lucky chance early on and was a little edgy but was soon infected by Taylor’s positivity and played some good shots himself. Taylor scored an unbeaten 67, while Buttler was unbeaten one short of fifty as England got past the line easily in the end.
(Rishad D’Souza, a reporter with CricketCountry, gave up hopes of playing Test cricket after a poor gully-cricket career. He now reports on the sport. You can follow @RDcric on Twitter)
