England v Pakistan, 2nd ODI: Five Talking Points

England continued their unbeaten run this summer with a comfortable 4-wicket victory in the second ODI of the series to lead the series 2-0. It was the disciplined bowling effort from the England pacers upfront, which doesn’t allow Pakistan to get away as they were restricted to 251. Joe Root of England anchored the innings to make sure that the hosts are well on course to win the match and take a 2-0 lead in the 5-match ODI series.

1. Top-order Collapse:

After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Pakistan had probably the worst start to their innings as the top three batsmen added a total of 1 run. Sami Aslam was brought into the match on the back of his performance in the third Test match of the series. However, he was dismissed in the first over of Chris Woakes, after England reviewed the on-field call and was overturned as Snicko detects a spike as the scoreboard reads 2/1.

It was a ripper from Mark Wood in the next over to see the back of Sharjeel Khan in the 3rd over of the match. The delivery pitched well outside leg and nipped away off the seam and knocked the off-stump over. First ball of the next over saw the Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali nicking a back of length delivery from Woakes into the safe hands of the wicket-keeper Jos Buttler. Losing 3 wickets for 2 runs, Pakistan was in all sorts of trouble and the credit goes to the England quicks.

Also read: Eng v Pak 2nd ODI Review – England cruise past Pakistan to take 2-0 lead

2. Sarfraz Ahmed’s lone hand:

Sarfraz Ahmed, who also made a half-century in the first ODI in Southampton came to the crease with his side in all sorts of trouble. He held the innings together and played brilliantly to score the first ever ODI century by a Pakistan batsman at Lords. His 130-ball 105 was crucial in Pakistan posting a target of 252 against the home side. This is also his highest score in ODIs, overtaking his 101 against Ireland at Adelaide during the 2015 World Cup.

3. Imad Wasim showcased his all-rounder skills:

Imad Wasim was the only batsman other than Sarfraz to score over 30 runs for Pakistan. He started slowly with just 3 runs from 17 deliveries, as he was trying to give the strike to Sarfraz. Once Sarfraz got dismissed, he accelerated and helped Pakistan take their total above 250 with a valiant 63 off 70 balls.

He had also done a decent job with the ball for his side as he picked up the wicket of Alex Hales in his first spell and was brought back into the attack by the skipper when the Root – Morgan partnership was going on. He responded well to the trust shown by his skipper, with the wicket of Eoin Morgan.

Also read: West Indies v India 1st T20I – India Player Ratings

4. Joe Root – Morgan partnership:

Joe Root played a brilliant innings as the whole England chase revolved around him. He came to the crease in the third ball of the innings, after the early loss of Jason Roy. He lost his partner Alex Hales soon as the duo added just 35 runs to the team total.

Pakistan was on the attack and England needed a partnership to get back into the contest. And it was the star England batsman Joe Root and the skipper Eoin Morgan who stood together and made their authority as the duo added 112 runs from 129 deliveries to take the team total to 147 for 2. Morgan (68) was the first one to be dismissed, who tried to give himself some room, but the fuller delivery from Imad Wasim skids under his bat to shatter the stumps. Root went on to score 89 runs before getting out to Wahab Riaz, with England just 12 short of the target.

5. England’s first win at Lords since 2012:

England are unbeaten in One Day Internationals (ODIs) this summer and they continued their run with a 4-wicket win. However, this is their first win at Lords since 2012. Also to consider that the Pakistan had won at this venue in the Test series, but however, it was England’s day as the tough run in the 50-overs format continues for Pakistan.