Twitter Reactions: Jason Roy and Ben Stokes help England win the series in Nottingham
Pakistan became the first team to lose three games in a row despite scoring 340 or more.
It was yet another emphatic day at the office for the England side, who managed to win all of their previous 16 games while chasing targets. It has been one of their most amazing phases in International cricket and they couldn’t have timed it any better with World Cup lurking around the corner.
Pakistan were put into bat first on a ground which saw England register the highest ever total in ODI history last year against Australia. Despite losing Imam-ul-Haq early due to an unfortunate elbow injury, the side managed to get a good start with Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman stitching a good partnership. Zaman got to his half-century before getting dismissed for a 50-ball 57.
Azam was joined by the comeback man Mohammad Hafeez, who too looked in fine touch straight away. Babar Azam, after all the criticism he was facing, finally managed to get a hundred to his name and Hafeez too completed a fifty. The duo added a solid partnership for the 3rd wicket which accounted for 104 runs.
A couple of quick wickets here hampered the scoring rate a bit, but Shoaib Malik ensured the side got to a respectable total in the end. Some short cameos from Imad Wasim, Asif Ali and Sarfaraz Ahmed saw Pakistan post 340 for the loss of seven wickets. Tom Curran was the pick of the English bowlers, who returned with figures of 4/75.
Stokes and Roy run riot at Trentbridge
Jason Roy was accompanied by James Vince for this game, with Jonny Bairstow getting some rest. It barely had an impact on the outcome as once again, they got off to a flying start. Roy, who missed out on a couple of chances to get three-figure scores, once again looked in outstanding touch.
Jason Roy and Vince added 94 runs for the first wicket before the latter was dismissed for 43. Joe Root managed to assist Roy on his quest for a big score and the duo consolidated their dominance. Roy finally got to a well-deserved hundred and is currently the leading run-scorer in the series. But shortly after his hundred, Roy and Root fell in quick succession, putting England in some trouble.
Pakistan had more reasons to cheer as Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali too departed in quick succession. They needed one of their big stars to chip in with a big knock and it came from the bat of Ben Stokes. The all-rounder remained unbeaten till the end, spanking three sixes and five fours en route to a 64 ball 71. His knock helped England said past the winning mark with three balls remaining.
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
Download Our App