Published: Sep 06, 2016, 08:00 AM (IST)
Edited: Sep 06, 2016, 11:08 AM (IST)
After an intense four-Test series between Pakistan and England, the two teams played out a five-One-Day International (ODI) series which turned out to be a one-sided affair as the hosts got the better of the visitors comprehensively. With a scoreline of 4-1, the writing was obvious that Pakistan were given no space to breathe in the series. England have been performing exceptionally well in the 50-over format after the debacle in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 and showed how much they are prepared for future endeavours. Aditya Sahay gives his review on England’s overall performance from the just concluded bilateral series: Full Cricket Scorecard: Pakistan vs England 2016, 5th ODI at Cardiff
Openers scored but did not click together: Alex Hales was having a tough time against Pakistan and the script looked the same in ODIs. He did not enjoy getting off to any sort of start in the first two games but eventually scored his best ODI score of 171 runs in at Trent Bridge in Nottingham and ODI cricket’s highest total, 444 for 3. He again failed in the last two ODIs showing his inconsistency. Jason Roy, on the other hand, started the series opener with a fifty but his bat remained silent till the final ODI. He looked set for a big one in the fifth one but fell for 87. On the whole, their openers scored in one or two games but could not take their team to a flying start in majority of matches.
Middle-order functioned well: Joe Root was in prolific form in the entire series with three fifties to his name. He hardly disappoints and was up for the challenge against an ordinary bowling attack of Pakistan. He held his end pretty well and missed out only on one game. England’s shorter-formats skipper, Eoin Morgan’s bat also added runs. He scored two half-centuries and got prolific start in the other games. Ben Stokes also played vital cameos along with two fifties in the last two ODIs. He is getting back to rhythm after his injuries and his performance will be pleasing for the team management.
These players are England’s mainstays and were expected to do well in the series. They did not disappoint which was a decisive factor in England winning the series.
Lower-order did decent in limited exposure: England’s bowlers overpowered Pakistan’s batting line-up on most occasions which did make the job of England’s batters easy. Their lower-order did not get much opportunities but came good in a few chances. Jos Buttler failed in the second ODI but looked his usual best in the run fest at Trent Bridge in third. His injury forced him out for the last two clashes. Jonny Bairstow came into the playing XI in the last two games and did well with a match winning knock in fourth ODI. Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes were not exposed much due to par scores posted by Pakistan. ALSO READ: Root, Sarfraz, Bailey rise in ICC ODI Player Rankings
Adil Rashid handled the spin department: After the pace attack used to dent Pakistan early in their innings, Rashid used to handle the spin department almost single-handedly. He ended the series with eight scalps. Rashid put the brakes on Pakistan’s scoring in the middle-overs due to their inability to play well during that phase. Rashid gave adequate flight to the ball in his quota of overs and ensured a tight line and length. He was little expensive in the fourth match and resulted in England’s tight grip on the match in decisive middle-overs.
Pacers provided breakthroughs early in the innings: Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Liam Plunkett handled the pace attack of their team in the series. Battling out against a mediocre batting line-up of Pakistan ensured they remained on top of the game since the beginning. Woakes ended the series with 9 wickets, Wood had 7 scalps whereas Plunkett got 5 wickets. All three played four games and caused enough damage to Pakistan. This ensured a good start for England in all ODIs.
David Willey remained wicketless but bowled in good areas playing in two games. Chris Jordan and Liam Dawson got two wickets apiece in same number of matches. England would be happy with their performances with limited outings. This shows they are in good stead and can be entrusted upon in crisis situations.
Fielding was above par: England were pretty good in their ground fielding and were not sloppy. They were sharp in all regions which ensured the opposition team had to work hard for their runs. In modern day game, fielding has become a vital cog in every team’s progress and England showed they focused on this aspect. ALSO READ: PAK vs ENG, 5th ODI: Azhar Ali lauds Sarfraz’s performance
All in all, England had a clinical performance in the entire ODI series and will be coming hard against Pakistan in the upcoming one-off T20 as well. Their only blip was that their openers could not perform together and came good in few matches. Another concern can be the limited exposure of their lower-order and they will like to work on that aspect in future.
England almost played a no nonsense cricket in coloured clothing and only went wrong in one match. Their progress from early 2015 to the present year has been phenomenal and they seem to be taking giant strides in shorter versions. England, for the first time, have aggressive and fearless brand of players who can run through any side but will want more such performances in all conditions for future. England’s clinical performance has threatened Pakistan spot in ICC World Cup 2019 that is slated to be held at their home soil itself and has boosted their rankings further. With too many Tests and ODIs lined up, they have to continue their A game.
(Aditya Sahay is a journalist with CricketCountry who is completely into sports and loves writing about cricket in general. He can be followed on Twitter at adisahay7)
