Ali Martin's match report
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The player of the match: Chris Woakes for his 10-2-54-5.
“It’s been a great few weeks for us. I think confidence is high across the squad, competition for places keeps us on our toes. Something we stay true to is celebrating each others’ success.”
The player of the series: Jason Roy
Sarfaraz: (sorry he said more than this but he speaks SOOOO quickly): “It’s not ideal preperation but I’m very confident we are ready for the world cup. My message to fans is to support us.”
Eoin Morgan: “I think its been as good as we could have hoped for. Pakistan are a good side, and no matter what side we chose the performance has never been compromised. No [ I dont know who my 15 is]. Every one of these guys , and Jason sitting at home, should be very proud.”
And that’s it from me. To those England players waiting for news on Monday, godspeed. The squad will be announced on Tuesday. Have a lovely evening!
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England look happy, relieved. Runs for Root, runs for Morgan, mini runs for Buttler and Vince . Chris Woakes , opening bowler extraordinaire, the happiest with the ball (5-54). Two wickets for Rashid plus some superb fielding.
Nasser is happy on Sky. One nit-pick from when the Pakistan tail was wagging. “There was a cool head out there but there wasn’t a smart head, it was almost that the game was won, they switched off, that’s probably a lesson to finish a game off.”
Waqar Younis is looking disgruntled through his glasses. “There are major issues with the new ball and on top of that the way we field, the way we drop catches, the only thing I can give points for is the batting....things are not looking very bright... I don’t see any plans for the bowling... I don’t know what’s gone wrong with Pakistan.”
ENGLAND WIN BY 54 RUNS - and win the series 4-0
A fun flurry by Nos 10 and 11 can’t disguise that Pakistan weren’t good enough to compete today - or any of the other days of the ODI series. It might have been different had they held their catches, or not stumbled in the field, but such is the essense of winning or losing games.
Killer fact: England have now won their last ten ODI series (of more than one game).
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WICKET! Hasnain st Butler b Rashid 28
Ah shame! HAsnain is beaten by Rashid’s guile, swipes and is neatly stumped by Buttler
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456h over: Pakistan 292/9 (Shaheen Afridi 18, Hasnain 24) The two 19 year olds are having a ball. Hasnain hits Willey into his own boot. Then backs away, off the pitch - some gall this one! and a disgruntled Willey refuses to deliver the ball. Willey then serves up a juicy full toss and Hasnin swots him for six over extra cover!!!! C’mon Pakistan!
Something lovely on Jofra Archer:
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45th over: Pakistan 283/9 (Shaheen Afridi 18, Hasnain 15) Woakes gets the treatment too, and is so fed up he sends down a ball so short if practically trims his own toenails. Hasnain dances away, but is not bothered - next ball he steps sideways and envelopes the ball through cover.
44th over: Pakistan 272/9 (Shaheen Afridi 10, Hasnain 12) I’m wishing David Willey this last wicket - as the Pakistan tail give him a bit of slap and tickle. Hasnain, through mid-off, four! Shaheen Afridi, a bootiful drive to the boundary, just stopped by an acrobatic Stokes, then heramps it behind for four. Willey is rather cross - imagine a hungry dulux dog.
43rd over: Pakistan 264/9 (Shaheen Afridi 7, Hasnain 7) Woakes is doing the dance of the seven veils with the ball - but Hasnain is not beguiled. He takes a large strde and sends him to the third man boundary.
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42nd over: Pakistan 258/9 (Shaheen Afridi 6, Hasnain 2) Hasnain gets a snorter off Willey and flays it to fine man for his first runs in any professional cricket! Congratulations!!
41st over: Pakistan 254/9 (Shaheen Afridi 4, Hasnain 0) Woakes again! Five-fer for the smiling assasin - looks niggle free and in perfect nick for the WC. Shaeen jiggles his last ball behind for four.
WICKET! Hasan Ali c Willey b Woakes 11
All the Ws in the frame as Pakistan rattle the final breaths. Terrible shot nicely taken at fine leg by a smiling Willey.
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40th over: Pakistan 250/8 (Shaheen Afridi 0, Hassan 11) A wicket for Willey! Hurrah.
Athers has a killer stat - Pakistan fans look away now - this will be Pakistan’s tenth ODI defeat in a row - their equal worst run ever alongside 1987.
Tony! Tim was watching, and thinks you’re right.
On the Sarfaraz dismissal (32nd over), Tony Brennan is surely right. It was a stumping by Buttler, a delicious blend of luck and quick thinking. Fortune favours the switched-on.
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WICKET! Asif Ali c Stokes b Willey 22
An ugly shot, swallowed by Stokes. Too easy.
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39th over: Pakistan 250/7 (Asif 22, Hassan 11) Hey, big, friendly wicket-taking world-cup (possibly) winning bowler - TAKE THAT! Hasan Ali, slogs four, then six off Chris Woakes.
George Garrett is thinking long-term about Denly.
Regarding Denly, it might be in his interest not to be in the World Cup squad. If he’s included there’s a strong chance he’ll spend the whole tournament carrying drinks. Not being involved gives him the chance to score big first class runs for Kent and solidify his case for batting at three in the Ashes.
38th over: Pakistan 240/7 (Asif 22, Hassan 1) The sun’s out at Headingley as David Willey is thrown the ball. Bowling under pressure, but I guess that’s what its all about. Asif sends a short one to the boundary. Eight off the over.
Damian Clarke is thinking AA Milne:
Tigger: “I’m saving my best bounce for Ol’ Long Ears”.
Any thoughts on who that might be?
37th over: Pakistan 232/7 (Asif 15) There’s no rest for Pakistan as Woakes picks up the ball and makes an immediate difference. Imad looked the part, but couldn’t go on.
Tony Brennan asks the question:
Why is Sarfaraz being given as run out rather that stumped. Would we really say that he tried for a run? If not, I’d suggest that law 39.1 applies and Jos should get his name in the book.
Tony, honestly, I don’t know. I initially wrote stumped but changed it when the TV scorers had run-out. Anyone want to enlighten us? Is Tim still watching?
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WICKET! Imad Wasim caught Buttler b Woakes 25
The television replay captures Woakes’s shadow - just as potent as the real thing. Imad looks behind as he edges, but immediately reviews - not sure why - ultra edge shows a big deflection. Woakes makes another breakthrough, he’s unstoppable today!
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36th over: Pakistan 226/6 (Asif 11, Imad 23) Ali clobbers Moeen through point. They stop for drinks and Pakistan need 9 an over for the next 14.
Tom van der Gucht is feeling for Joe Denly.
I‘m a bit concerned that Denly is going to be Ed Smith’s white whale and go down as an overly clever project that backfired.
His batting in one day cricket has been pretty decent over the past couple of years, but selecting him as a potential leg spinner reminds me of previous non-bowling allrounders who somehow found themselves in World Cup squads, like Yardy, Dalrymple and Anthony McGrath.
As somebody pointed out earlier today, if Rashid gets injured, England are in trouble - surely they should’ve used this series to allow a couple of other fringe spinning candidates a bowl to see what they offer.
Good point, but it could be worse for him - rumours that Ed and Eoin will ditch him altogether because they can’t decide between the seamers. I guess that could be why they didn’t even give him a go today.
35th over: Pakistan 218/6 (Asif 5, Imad 21) Curran again. Imad hooks dowardly, with a wristy twist, then a class one-knee-lifting pull, right the way round, for four.
On the radio, Mark Ramprakash thinks England’s fielding coach will be pleased. He’s right - they’ve been tiggerish/tigerish, whichever you like.
34th over: Pakistan 208/6 (Asif 4, Imad 12) Imad Wasim hasn’t given up. HE looks like a left hander, but isn’t. A boundary off Moeen and a scattering of singles.
33rd over: Pakistan 201/6 (Asif 3, Imad 6) Curran replaces Rashid, Imad drives him smartly for four but it all seems a bit hopeless now.
Adil do nicely...
— Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) May 19, 2019
32nd over: Pakistan 193/6 (Asif 1, Imad o) And that, you’d think, was that.
WICKET! Sarfaraz run-out Buttler 97
WOw! What quick-thinking by Buttler. He blocks the ball with his shoe then, with his gloves, suddenly enormous, scoops up the ball and breaks the wicket as a desperate Sarfaraz dives round for the stumps. A despondent Sarfaraz gers a huge round of applause, outwitted in the end, but not without a fight. A bristling knock.
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31st over: Pakistan 189/5 (Shoaib 4, Sarfaraz 94) Oooh, it just got a bit tasty. Sararaz may fancy Moeen, but he fancies Rashid more - four, six, four - huge hits. Then the wicket - a great comeback by Rashid.
WICKET! Shoaib c and b Rashid 4
Shoaib hits back and an airborne Rashid, who has just been whalloped by Sarfaraz in the remainder of the over, somehow clutches the ball in his left paw. Really great fielding
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30th over: Pakistan 174/4 (Shoaib 4, Sarfaraz 79) Sarfaraz fancies Moeen - sweeping him , nicely, for four . He calls to the dressing room - this bat needs some urgent tlc. The umpire brings out a ... pocketknife? ... and whittles. Nine from the over.
John Starbuck knows the antonym for poker face.
“The opposite of a poker face is (a) an open door or (b) another poker face.”
I return your serve.
29th over: Pakistan 165/4 (Shoaib 3, Sarfaraz 71) Sarfaraz pushes his front knee forward and slurrups Rashid for six into ye olde Western Terrace. Follows-up with a bottom ended single.
28th over: Pakistan 156/4 (Shoaib 2, Sarfaraz 63) Moeen has five balls at the new batsman - a virtually silent over for Pakistan. And the Headingley crowd find some voice.
27th over: Pakistan 154/4 (Shoaib 1, Sarfaraz 62) What a shame for Babar, over-eager backing up finishing a gorgeous innings. He is a pleasure to watch - all style and correctness and grace. But, he’s out now and with that, you’d have thought, go Pakistan’s hopes.
WICKET! Babar run out (Butler/Rashid) 80
What a disappointing way to go! Babar sets off from the non-strikers end but is sent back by Sarfaraz. Buttler gathers the ball from behind the stumps and throws slightly wildly at the non-striker’s end where a blindsided Rashid picks up and throws down the stumps on the turn while looking the other way. And that’s magic!
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26th over: Pakistan 151/3 (Babar 77, Sarfaraz 61) Sarfaraz sweeps Moeen’s last ball for four - he’s very well balanced at the crease. And the score ticks on.
25th over: Pakistan 142/3 (Babar 77, Sarfaraz 55) The Kirkstall Lane End again, Rashid again. England appeal as the well-stuffed Sarfaraz sets off, and is sent back, for a “quick” single. He’s in, but the big screen says OUT! IT is quickly replaced by a shame-faced Not Out. Just two from that Rashid’s over. And at half way, England were 191-2 with Root and Morgan going well.
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24th over: Pakistan 140/3 (Babar 76, Sarfaraz 54) Moeen, long slim arms, and quirkily angled beard, keeps it tight. An impatient Sarfaraz winds up for slog but gets a squirt for one. Tick, tock.
23rd over: Pakistan 135/3 (Babar 74, Sarfaraz 51) Rashid weaves the ball between his hands, working the loom, spinning the magic. Then lets go a loose one and Babar spots it, walks across and slogs him for six.
22nd over: Pakistan 125/3 (Babar 65, Sarfaraz 50) Babar, whippet quick bat speed, whips Moeen over mid wicket for four. Sarfaraz, wiley old pro, find the gap and they scurry through for two, and that’s his fifty- beautifully done.
21st over: Pakistan 116/3 (Babar 60, Sarfaraz 47) Rashid and Moeen whizzing through these overs, Pakistan need to make sure they don’t suddenly fall too far behind. If these two stay in, it’s on - as they say. That said, Babar swipes at a full toss and misses.
20th over: Pakistan 112/3 (Babar 58, Sarfaraz 45) Moeen is on the button, till the last ball which Babar steps and drives - a diving Chris Woakes makes a great attempt to stop the boundary, but just fails.
19th over: Pakistan 104/3 (Babar 51, Sarfaraz 44) It’s England’s spin twins again as Rashid replaces Stokes. Sarfaraz spots the googly - swot!
18th over: Pakistan 98/3 (Babar 50, Sarfaraz 39) Moeen takes the ball - after a duck with the bat - and, oh good, Sarfaraz has replaced his helmet with a bright green cap. What is the opposite of a poker face?
And with a gentle glance, Barbar reaches his fifty - his 12th in ODIs, 59 balls, 7 fours. It’s been quietly gorgeous.
17th over: Pakistan 94-3 (Babar 47, Sarfaraz 38) Stokes (3-28) After refreshment, we begin again. Babar clips Stokes’s first ball through the clover. He only gets one but it’s worth a mention cos its gorgeous. Then Sarfaraz leans back and, bat horizontal, lets the ball breathe huskily on the face before bouncing down for four. The Pakistanis then scamper through for quick single, evading Stokes’ left foot flick at the stumps. Ten off the over.
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16th over: Pakistan 84-3 (Babar 46, Sarfaraz 30) Babar cuts Curran just to the left of a diving Stokes. It was tricky, too tricky to count as a chance. I’m pretty sure that, under Babar’s helmet, I saw his moustache bristle.
Mark Wood and Liam Plunkett are wearing the yellow bibs, and they bring DRINKS.
15th over: Pakistan 78-3 (Babar 41, Sarfaraz 30) Pakistan untroubled by Stokes, or anyone else at the moment, but they need more than that. Need to score at 7.83 runs an over - the run rate is currently fiveish.
14th over: Pakistan 73-3 (Babar 39, Sarfaraz 27) Curran is doing himself no harm here. Tries a short one with his last delivery, Sarfaraz can’t resist but is beaten by the pace and ball sails harmlessly through to Buttler.
Andrew Benton is looking for a debrief:
“Like Guy Hornsby, I recently moved after two decades - but from Beijing to Sussex. The last summer of cricket I was here was 1999. Thing is, I can’t remember cricket before the OBO, smatterings of Channel 4 and the 2005 ashes aside. Is there a world-beating write-up of the 1999 World Cup anywhere?”
If you don’t mind a bit of product placement, I can tell you that Scott Oliver has done a super job of 1999 in the next issue of The Nightwatchman (World Cup special - out June 1)
13th over: Pakistan 68-3 (Babar 37, Sarfaraz 24) Stokes thunders in, all effort in his reddening face. Sarfaraz, grizzled old pro that he is, opens the face and glides Stoke down for a single. Babar tries a thunderous drive to the last ball but Woakes swoops at mid-off, far too well for such a tall man.
12th over: Pakistan 65-3 (Babar 36, Sarfaraz 22) A tighter over from Tom Curran, width and length busily correct.
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11th over: Pakistan 64-3 (Babar 36, Sarfaraz 21) Stokes replaces Woakes in the second fifth of the innings. Nine from the over as Sarfaraz angles down to the boundary plus a clutch of quick singles -including one when Morgan at point throws down the stumps and Pakistan zing through for a quick single.
Chris, via email, wants to spread the England love (I agree!):
This doesn’t have the glamour feel of Derbyshire v Glorious Glamorgan but any cricket is good cricket.
I know the focus is very much in the World Cup. I’m hoping for an England win as much as the next person, but I wanted to get something in before it starts. Whatever happens in the WC, England were an embarrassment with the white ball. In the last 4 years they have become a joy, they’ve been bloody superb around the world and have made watching them something to look forward to rather than leave us whimpering behind the sofa. 350 today feels like they’ve underachieved.
So here’s to winning the World Cup, but whatever happens this is a team to savour.
Cheers!
10th over: Pakistan 55-3 (Babar 34, Sarfaraz 14) Curran replaces Willey and immediately leaks 12 runs as Pakistan nurdle and nudge and then, to the last ball, Babar flicks off his pads elegantly for four.
9th over: Pakistan 43-3 (Babar 28, Sarfaraz 8) Woakes: dot, dot, dot, one, one, one. No fireworks, perhaps an indoor firework, one of those where the snake slowly emerges, slighlty disturbingly, from a cube of charcoal.
The Pakistan fanbase, sizeable at Headingley today, sit hand on chins in thought. It’s cardigan weather. Cardigans and tea.
8th over: Pakistan 40-3 (Babar 25, Sarfaraz 7) Willey tempts Sarfaraz, who fishes dangerously then turns him off his hips with the style of an old pro inwardly turning over his words in preparation for a end-of-day dressing-room rocket.
Six off Willey’s over, a faithful Newfoundland, ears held back by the wind.
7th over: Pakistan 34-3 (Babar 24, Sarfaraz 3) Babar has decided, well ,why not? And we know, from Trent Bridge, that why not is entertaining, if not, in the context of this game, dangerous. He pulls Woakes, bang-fizz, to the boundary. Then immaculately plays back the remaining five balls.
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6th over: Pakistan 30-3 (Babar 20, Sarfaraz 2) Babar Azam hasn’t read the briefing notes. He rolls his wrists and sends a boundary through point, then, lovely, drives through the covers, with follow-through held just a second longer than necessary.
5th over: Pakistan 20-3 (Babar 11, Sarfaraz 2) Babar pulls a shorter Woakes delivery for a one-bounce boundary. Sarfaraz -it’s a shame we can’t see his expression under that helmet -swats a single awkwardly . Then Babar, without moving the knuckle of one toe, swats the ball through cover for four. Yummy.
Guy Hornsby is in Sale, dreaming of Afghanistan:
Afternoon @tjaldred. Nice piece on Afghanistan. I've always had a soft spot for them since the world T20, so I'm excited to see them in the flesh against England at Old Trafford. Having moved to Sale after two decades in London, it's not a bad way to break my cricket cherry here.
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) May 19, 2019
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4th over: Pakistan 9-3 (Babar 2, Sarfaraz 1) Doesn’t Woakes know that this is Willey’s chance to shine? A careful over from DW, three consolation singles for Pakistan and a wide.
Fact: Chris Woakes is the leading wicket-taker in the first ten overs of ODIs since 2016.
3rd over: Pakistan 6-3 (Babar 0, Sarfaraz 0) The white ball is putty in Woakes’ fingers. No extravagant swing, just expert manipulation from a great height. The crowd sigh in excitement, then disappointment. No-one wants a walkover.
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WICKET! Hafeez lbw Woakes 0
Pakistan won’t detain you long. Hafeez doesn’t deign to move his feet and it is bye-bye as Woakes takes his third wicket in two overs without conceding a run.
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WICKET! Abid lbw Woakes 0
Abid reviews without consultation, but ball tracking says it would hit the top of leg stump and Pakistan are 6/2
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2nd over: Pakistan 6-1 (Babar 0, Abid 5) The start of an important spell for David Willey. First ball, outside off, Ali drives and misses: third ball a bit wider, fuller, and Abid drives, nicely, four. Then a wide. But the fifth ball is a better length, just full enough for Buttler behind the stumps to give him winking applause. Seven out of ten.
1st over: Pakistan 0-1 (Babar 0, Abid 0) A super start by Woakes at the Kirkstall Lane End. On the proverbial button from ball one. Pakistan swallow drily with 49 overs yet to come.
Abhijato Sensarma has been thinking:
“Many have been raising their concerns about the flat nature of the English pitches, and how they are taking away the true spirit of the game. After thinking about it for a while, I’ve come to realise this: What modern LOIs need isn’t a traditional balance between bat and ball within the same game, but a sustained balance between the high-scoring thrillers and the low-scoring thrillers instead!”
WICKET! Fakhar c Root b Woakes 0
Three balls and time to edge to Root at second slip. Easy! Pakistan 0/1 .
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And here we go! The players walk on and Eoin Morgan throws the new ball to ... Chris Woakes.
Should Pakistan get past England, it will be the highest total made at Headingley since Sanath Jayasuriya ignited the ground in 2006.
Yet England, even on only on half song, keep breaking records.
373-3
— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) May 19, 2019
359-4
341-7
351-9
England now first team in the ODI history to score 340plus in four consecutive innings. #EngvPak
A little bit of mid-match reading here, the gen on Rashid Khan and the rest. They have, so the radio said mid-marmite-ing, three ODI bowlers in the top 20. Only India have more.
Hello everyone, from lazy Sundayers to Manchester half-marathoners, and welcome to the final episode of the final shoot-out, the last tightrope, the unluckiest of dips.
When five become four, as the Spice Girls so nearly sang, If Jofra Archer is already in for super-star sprinkle, and Mark Wood gets in by dint of speed, and Plunkett gets in for stocky middle-over steadfastness, and Woakes for long-standing dazzle, that leaves Tom Curran or David Willey on the outside looking in. If Curran’s performance at Trent Bridge and with the bat today have tipped the scales in his favour, Willey has 10 more overs.
Read Ali Martin’s more expert take here
When 350 feels like a failure
We have now reached the point, in this age of one-day blast-fests, where a team can make 351 and you feel short-changed. Morgan was outstanding, Root very good, and there were cameos to the left of them (Vince, Bairstow) and cameos to the right (Buttler, Curran). But somehow England managed to lose six wickets for 79, and with them, much of their momentum. The man who made the difference was Imad Wasim.
Will England still win from here? Hard to say. They may well be pumped by Curran’s ingenuity, but Pakistan, after a poor start, bowled cannily in the middle overs, and the Englishman best equipped to do that is Liam Plunkett, who’s not playing. Pakistan have a fair chance of a consolation victory, which, on the balance of the series, they surely deserve. Thanks for your company, your emails and one well-judged telling-off (13th over). Tanya Aldred will be here shortly with her signature sparkle. See you in the World Cup.
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50th over: England 351-9 (Curran 29, Rashid 2) Hasan Ali takes the last over and Tom Curran tucks in. A chip for two, back down the ground, is just a rehearsal for a six, in the same direction, off a slower ball. And then Curran plays the most audacious shot of the day, flipping the ball off his face, over his head, over the keeper, and off to the sponge at long stop. So that’s a decent finale and another signal that Curran is a formidable competitor. Can he please sign for Man United?
49th over: England 337-9 (Curran 16, Rashid 1) Well done Shaheen, who has made things happen today, one way or another. He finishes with the wacky figures of 10-0-82-4.
Wicket! Willey b Shaheen 14 (England 336-9)
The procession continues as Willey makes room for a swish and Shaheen fires in a 90mph yorker. That’s superb bowling, and the end of a punchy little partnership of 26 in three overs. Seven balls to go.
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48th over: England 329-8 (Willey 8, Curran 15) Hasan restores order and England settle for six singles. Once upon a time, about five years ago, that would have been fine.
47th over: England 323-8 (Willey 5, Curran 12) Tom Curran has already saved the day twice with the bat this summer, and he fancies doing it again. He saunters over to the off side and ramps Shaheen for six, as if he just knew there was a full toss coming. And then he adds insult to insult with a slice for four over the vacant slips. His place in the XV must be secure now.
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46th over: England 310-8 (Willey 4, Curran 0) Stokes, to be fair, had just produced a contender for shot of the day, a thunderous whip through midwicket. But next ball he joined the collapse, which is now five wickets for 53.
Wicket!! Stokes c Fakhar b Hasan 21 (England 310-8)
Stokes departs, seething, after pulling a cutter to long-on. Well bowled Hasan, but Stokes never really got going: aafter playing so well on Friday, he used up 29 balls today.
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45th over: England 304-7 (Stokes 16, Willey 3) Stokes hits the first four for ages, off Shaheen, but even that is a bit of a fluke – a firm drive that might have been cut off hit something and leapt over the diving figure of someone. Willey, dabbing for two, looks in the mood – can he get England going again?
Wicket! Woakes c Babar b Shaheen 13 (England 295-7)
Woakes tries to hit a six down the ground but ends up just giving catching practice. Dear old England - however buccaneering they may become, they reserve the right to collapse in a heap. That’s four wickets for 38 off the last 53 balls.
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44th over: England 295-6 (Stokes 10, Woakes 13) Woakes does his best to join the club of Englishmen caught on the pull, but his mis-hit ends up in no-man’s-land and he picks up two. England badly need some fireworks.
In Rutland yesterday, I was chatting to a Pakistan fan who reckoned the World Cup semi-finalists would be England, Australia, India and ... Afghanistan. Here’s a Guardian guide to the Afghan team and their prospects.
43rd over: England 289-6 (Stokes 8, Woakes 9) Last over from Imad, who allows Woakes to cut for three, then resumes his new-found excellence, conceding only a single off his final four balls. He finishes with 10-0-53-3, which is like taking three for 30 a decade ago. As much as Morgan or Root, he has been the man of the match so far.
42nd over: England 285-6 (Stokes 7, Woakes 6) Better from England, more purposeful, although Woakes gets away with giving a chance as the bowler, Hafeez, spills one that was coming back hard and low.
41st over: England 279-6 (Stokes 4, Woakes 3) Another three-run over, this time from Imad, and even 340 is looking a bit ambitious now. The lesson of the innings seems to be that you need to mix bouncers and spinners. Another reason to pine for Archer, an also for Liam Plunkett: this England XI are better equipped to produce the slow stuff than the short stuff.
40th over: England 276-6 (Stokes 2, Woakes 2) Hasnain keeps the pressure on, conceding a wide and two singles, the second of them a strange half-formed pull from Stokes. With ten overs to go, England should be eyeing 340. We may well get to see if Pakistan can chase the sort of target they’ve been setting.
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39th over: England 273-6 (Stokes 1, Woakes 1) Well well well. Thanks to Imad Wasim (8-0-46-3), we have a game now, and there’ll be no more talk of 400. On the plus side for England, Woakes can bat for ten overs and remind us what a classy No.8 he is. But it makes it an even odder decision to leave out Archer again – he could have done with a decent go. Or any go. Maybe it’s proof of Archer’s outstanding potential that he has already been placed in cotton wool twice.
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Wicket!!! Ali lbw b Imad 0 (England 272-6)
And another one! For once, it’s not the short ball. Moeen goes back to a routine delivery from the slow left-armer and misses it for some unknown reason. He then reviews, which is just adding one misjudgement to another.
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Wicket! Buttler c Abid Ali b Imad 34 (England 272-5)
Nooooo!!! The man most likely to thrill the crowd for the next hour has gone, slapping a cut to backward point. If that had been Vince, we would have said it was typical.
38th over: England 272-4 (Buttler 34, Stokes 1) Sarfaraz hears my plea for a slip and nearly gets a wicket as Stokes doesn’t notice the change in the field and tries a dab. Does anyone know why Stokes is playing? He’s got a sore elbow, he shone on Friday, he could do with a rest, they could have given Denly a go in his place.
37th over: England 267-4 (Buttler 30, Stokes 1) Just a couple of singles off Imad, who’s been very good about half the time.
36th over: England 265-4 (Buttler 29, Stokes 0) That should be a big blow for England, but Jos Buttler doesn’t see it that way. The ball after the wicket, he cuts for four as Hasnain offers far too much width. Two balls later, he plays a delicious late push for four through the vacant slips. The only way to beat this England line-up on a belter is to take wickets. Pakistan have managed that with the short ball, but not with the bulk of their deliveries, and partly because Sarfaraz has been so reluctant to post a slip.
Wicket!!! Root c Asif Ali b Mohammad Hasnain 84 (England 257-4)
The short ball strikes again! It’s not a top edge this time, but Root doesn’t get hold of his pull and picks out the man at deep square. End of an excellent innings (73 balls, nine fours) which went like a quirky dance, quick-slow-quickish.
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Time for some emails. “Two observations,” says Max Bonnell, crisply. “The boundaries are tiny, which didn’t matter so much when Headingley used to seam sideways but does now.” Are you sure? It can be hard to tell on the telly but the commentators have been talking about long square boundaries. “And, without wishing to be unkind to a younger player, Hasnain’s bowling arm doesn’t look all that straight to me. Not that Root and Morgan care.” Interesting.
“Hello from Shanghai!” Hello Alex Butler. “Surely Vince isn’t the answer, whatever the question is, elegant as he may be. Were the top brass a little hasty with Hales, perhaps with the nightclub fiasco still influencing decisions? With our bowlers generously giving up 330-plus with alarming regularity, it seems we’re one middle-order wobble away from disaster. Surely community outreach work as punishment would have been enough for this sort of infraction?” Ha. Don’t you love the ability of sports fans to spot disaster in the midst of serenity?
35th over: England 255-3 (Root 83, Buttler 20) Buttler’s creativity is infectious. Root, seeing a regulation delivery from the slow left-arm of Imad Wasim, decides to play a reverse something through the vacant slip for four. Somehow Imad recovers to bowl four dots in a row to Buttler, for which he deserves a medal. And that’s drinks, with England well on top and eyeing 400.
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34th over: England 250-3 (Root 78, Buttler 20) If you follow cricket, you know what a cut shot is – a good one goes for four, square of the wicket on the off side. Well, Jos Buttler sees your four and raises you a six, over wide mid-off. It was a long hop from Shaheen, but still, that’s a stroke of genius. When Shaheen follows up with a yorker, Buttler swishes it for two.
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33rd over: England 241-3 (Root 77, Buttler 12) Root milks Hasan, if you can milk a seamer, and Hasan then does something given to few: he bowls three dots in a row to Buttler, mixing it up with a length ball, a slower ball and a wide yorker.
32nd over: England 238-3 (Root 74, Buttler 12) Root, who switched to second fiddle when Morgan started playing the big shots, has stayed quiet, so Buttler takes charge. Facing Shaheen, he plays that characteristic shot of his past mid-off – not so much a drive, more of a caress – and then latches onto a short one and pulls it, hard, square, verging on brutal.
31st over: England 228-3 (Root 73, Buttler 3) Just three singles and a wide off Hasan’s over, so the Sky director takes the opportunity to show us some spectators in fancy dress. The theme on the invitation appears to have been Munich Oktoberfest.
30th over: England 224-3 (Root 72, Buttler 1) England’s past two victories, chasing 340-plus, came without a single run from Jos Buttler, who missed one game and made a duck (as captain) in the other. He’s already done better today, getting off the mark with a push to leg and a determined sprint.
Wicket!! Morgan c Abid b Shaheen 76 (England 222-3)
Morgan’s top-edged pull, which took a tile off a roof a few overs ago, now brings his downfall. The bouncer was too far to the off side for him to fetch it, and he gives Abid Ali an easy catch at square leg. A tame end to a fabulous innings of 76 off 64 balls – superb acceleration from a sedate start.
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29th over: England 221-2 (Root 70, Morgan 76) Milking is all very well but it’s a bit dull by today’s standards. So Morgan hits Imad’s first ball over long-on and into the middle distance. And he hits the fourth ball for six too. I missed the shot but caught the catch, which was in the stand, by the man in the blue hoodie. He celebrates by making a phone call.
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28th over: England 207-2 (Root 69, Morgan 63) Five singles off Hafeez. “Siri, what do cricket fans mean when they talk about milking?” “They mean what happened in the 28th over of England’s innings against Pakistan on May 19, 2019.”
27th over: England 202-2 (Root 67, Morgan 60) Imad Wasim returns and concedes just four singles, which is great going at the moment.
Here’s Phil Sawyer. “Afternoon, Tim. I don’t understand Gary’s concern [21st over]. He has already given us the answer himself. If Adil Rashid gets injured, the answer, as any County Cricket Live! or Lancashire follower will tell you, is Get Parky On.” Which is amusing, but not very likely.
26th over: England 198-2 (Root 65, Morgan 58) Hafeez continues and so does Morgan, cutting for four like Neil Fairbrother in his pomp. Morgan’s batting average this year, in ten one-day internationals, is 80.
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25th over: England 191-2 (Root 63, Morgan 53) Hasnain goes a touch too full to Morgan, who cover-drives for four with a lovely Lara-esque flourish. That’s his fifty off 43 balls – a slow start, then a classic Morgan performance. So, at the halfway mark, England are heading for 400, if they can keep it up.
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24th over: England 182-2 (Root 60, Morgan 46) If there’s a university course somewhere on cricket captaincy, this game may well end up as the subject of a lecture. Sarfaraz brings on a seventh bowler, Mohammad Hafeez, with his off breaks. With Morgan in the mood, Hafeez does quite well to concede only one four, chipped over midwicket.
23rd over: England 177-2 (Root 60, Morgan 42) Sarfaraz gets the memo and brings back Hasnain, who starts well but then goes for another six as Morgan top-edges into the stand. We are back in the modern era.
22nd over: England 168-2 (Root 59, Morgan 35) Sarfaraz persists with Shoaib and pays the price. Root’s sweep is in such good order that, as Rob Key says, he almost gets down on two knees to play it. And Morgan hits another six, over mid-on for a change.
21st over: England 156-2 (Root 54, Morgan 28) Morgan lofts Fakhar for the first six of the day, over mid-off. These part-timers have done their bit, and now it’s time to recall the real bowlers.
On Twitter, Gary Naylor is back for more. “I suspect England are one Quinton de Kock drive splitting Adil Rashid’s webbing away from a mini World Cup crisis,” he argues. “So, if Eoin Morgan thinks Joe Denly can’t bowl leg breaks, who does he think can? Matt Parkinson? Mason Crane? Will Beer?” It’s a situation crying out for Liam Dawson, isn’t it? Or just the one spinner?
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20th over: England 147-2 (Root 52, Morgan 21) Morgan shows his true colours by whacking Shoaib’s first ball for four over midwicket, which means England can do some milking and still reach eight off the over.
19th over: England 139-2 (Root 50, Morgan 15) England finally get out of jail as Root plays a powerful sweep for four – the first boundary for seven overs. And that’s Root’s fifty, his 30th in this format, and it came off only 38 balls. He’s been getting rather Vince-ish scores in the past few games: now he needs to go for the full Roy.
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18th over: England 131-2 (Root 43, Morgan 14) Shoaib continues. He hails from the 20th century – made his debut in 1999 – and so does England’s batting at the moment. Morgan, frustrated, tries a chip over extra cover, which at least brings two.
17th over: England 126-2 (Root 41, Morgan 10) Fakhar keeps it tight again, and that’s drinks with Pakistan fighting back well after an awful start. This partnership is worth only 23 off 43 balls. “You have to spin to win against England,” says Nasser Hussain.
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16th over: England 121-2 (Root 39, Morgan 8) Sarfaraz does it again, bringing on Shoaib Malik, who concedes three singles with his rusty off-breaks. Dear Younger Reader, this is what one-day cricket used to be like, back in the dark ages, circa 2014.
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15th over: England 118-2 (Root 37, Morgan 7) Sarfaraz, who doesn’t always seem a natural captain, is now ringing the changes like Mike Brearley, and it’s working. He tosses the ball to Fakhar Zaman, whose slow-left-arm darts go for only two off the over.
14th over: England 116-2 (Root 36, Morgan 6) Imad Wasim keeps it tight. This has been the little spell Pakistan needed.
13th over: England 111-2 (Root 35, Morgan 3) An over to please everyone: Hasan Ali keeps the plug in, while England’s two captains keep the scoreboard ticking.
And here’s Olly. “I feel I must take exception to your description of Vince’s shot as ‘half-arsed’. He had middled everything so far and had played a similar shot which he middled for a four. Credit to Afridi for a rapid delivery that induced a top edge. Yes, Vince has a string of majestic 30s but in the context of the match it’s a bit harsh to have a go at him for giving it a whirl.” It’s a fair cop – I may have been playing the man rather than the shot.
12th over: England 106-2 (Root 31, Morgan 1) And that is Pakistan’s best over of the day, with Imad conceding only two singles as well as taking the wicket. Game on? Let’s hope so.
An interesting question from Tim Woollias. “Is to vince now a verb, meaning the opposite of convince, ie to suggest a position of authority but never cement it?”
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Wicket!! Bairstow c Shaheen b Imad 32 (England 105-2)
Another one! Bairstow decides it’s time for a six but doesn’t get enough on it, and Pakistan have a tall man in the right place on the sponge at long-on.
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11th over: England 104-1 (Bairstow 32, Root 30) Root straight-drives Hasan for four and overtakes his mate Bairstow, despite giving him a seven-and-a-half-over start. Bairstow retorts with a dismissive cover drive.
10th over: England 95-1 (Bairstow 28, Root 25) Sarfaraz, who may be wondering why on earth he accepted the captaincy, turns to spin. Imad Wasim is quick for a slow bowler and both batsmen make use of his pace with deflections for four. Root gets an edge too, but there’s no slip. This is England’s fourth-highest total in the opening powerplay. Ever.
“Morning Tim from drizzly Piedmont,” says Finbar Ainslow, answering the call for a World Cup selection. “Well Lewis Gregory would seem an obvious choice, but then again maybe England already have enough match winners?” Which makes me wonder where humour shades into hubris.
9th over: England 81-1 (Bairstow 23, Root 16) Root, in front of his home crowd, is on fire today. He off-drives for four, helped by some comedy fielding, then pulls for four more. Briefly remembering that he’s a Yorkshireman, he brings out the back-foot prod, before leg-glancing for yet another boundary. The rate is up to nine an over. Could 500 be in their sights?
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8th over: England 69-1 (Bairstow 23, Root 4) Well done Shaheen. He tries the bouncer again straightaway to Joe Root, who flaps rather but gets away with it as the ball loops into space behind square.
Wicket! Vince c Fakhar b Shaheen 33 (England 63-1)
Vince has done a Vince! He plays a half-arsed pull, gets a top edge and offers a simple catch to the man at deep square. What a shame. He could have made 150.
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7th over: England 56-0 (Vince 28, Bairstow 22) Another fine shot from Bairstow, cutting Hasnain backward of backward point. England, while not having it all their own way, are going at eight an over without breaking sweat.
6th over: England 45-0 (Vince 27, Bairstow 17) Bairstow, facing Shaheen, is warming to the task. He picks up another four with a lovely soft-hands touch to fine leg’s right, but then miscues a pull and gets away with a top edge over the keeper’s left shoulder. Shaheen is bowling fast now, giving Vince the hurry-up and perhaps making Morgan wonder if he was right to leave out both his speed merchants.
5th over: England 38-0 (Vince 26, Bairstow 11) Sarfaraz makes an early change, bringing on Mohammad Hasnain. England continue on their merry way as Bairstow pulls the first ball for four and Vince clips the last off the pads for four more.
4th over: England 27-0 (Vince 21, Bairstow 5) Bairstow has had so little to do this morning, he’s gone out of form. He edges Shaheen, offering an easy catch to the vacant second slip, and then escapes an LBW appeal. Meanwhile the camera finds Ed Smith, deep in conversation with his new boss Ashley Giles. They could surely do with some tips from our readers on who should win the fringe places in the World Cup XV.
3rd over: England 22-0 (Vince 21, Bairstow 1) Vince is up for this. Facing Hasan, he plays the most imperious of his cover drives and follows up with a pull for four more. He has only let Jonny B face one ball so far.
“It’s my first cricket since the Windies,” says Robert Wilson, “so I’d appreciate a punchy and glib paragraph on what I’ve missed so far.” I’m hoping that’s a joke. “Plus, while you’re at it, an abject apology for daring to do Gavaskar-comedy. Say what you like about the pocket Schwarzenegger, he fronted up to that generation’s carnivorous quicks with nothing but a floppy hat and a reproachful expression. Strong men used to faint hearing it on the radio. Them’s some giant plums.” It’s a fair point. But he still made 36 not out off 60 overs. In the World Cup.
2nd over: England 14-0 (Vince 13, Bairstow 1) Jonny Bairstow brings a touch of sobriety, getting off the mark with an old pro’s tuck into the legside off the left-armer Shaheen. Vince tears through the covers again with a drive from the brutal end of his repertoire, then spoils his run of fours with a flick to long leg. He’s shaping up as a useful understudy.
1st over: England 8-0 (Vince 8, Bairstow 0) Hasan Ali opens the bowling and everything goes wrong. First ball, half-volley, square drive for four. Second ball, better length but a touch wide, off-drive on the up, four more. Vince does well to see the ball so clearly so early, and Hasan does well to bounce back with four dots. The pitch looks like another road.
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Gary Naylor is in the house
Well, on Twitter, and armed, as ever, with a theory. “I noticed at Bristol that Pakistan did not hit enough sixes. Though worth only two more runs, I suspect sixes push fielders on to the sponge, making twos more available, and provoke fielding errors through intimidation. Certainly works that way for England just now!” They also demoralise the bowler. And above all, they electrify the crowd.
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An email!
From Steve Hudson. “I remember Abid Ali,” he says. “For the time, a decent seam bowler for India. They didn’t have much to choose from, did they? Sunil Gavaskar opened the bowling a couple of times - 5 foot 4 and about 65mph with the wind behind him.” Haha. And even slower when he batted.
The teams
England 1 Jonny Bairstow, 2 James Vince, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (c), 5 Jos Buttler (w), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Tom Curran, 11 Adil Rashid.
Pakistan 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Abid Ali, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Sarfaraz Ahmed (c, w), 6 Mohammad Hafeez, 7 Asif Ali, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Mohammad Hasnain, 11 Shaheen Afridi.
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Toss: England win and bat
Bored of chasing down big totals, Morgan opts to try and set one instead. England’s rotation continues with Jason Roy dropping out, Jonny Bairstow coming back, and the fastest new-ball pair for ages, Archer and Wood, giving way to two swingers in Woakes and Willey. Tom Curran, the star man on Friday, retains his place. So, more surprisingly, does Joe Root, which means that Joe Denly won’t get a chance in his natural habitat near the top of the order.
For Pakistan, Imam-ul-Haq is still nursing that sore elbow, so Abid Ali comes in to open with Fakhar Zaman. Hands up if you’re old enough to remember him opening the bowling for India.
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Preamble: no hundreds please, Pakistan
Morning everyone and welcome to an unusual sporting occasion. It’s both a dead rubber and a dress rehearsal. Two weeks tomorrow, England play Pakistan in the World Cup, back at Trent Bridge, where they met on Friday. Today, with rather less of a buzz in the air, they meet at Headingley for the fifth and final one-day international. If you need to lower your blood pressure, you’ve come to the right place.
It’s not easy for a white-ball series to be remembered for more than about a month, but this one is heading for pub-quiz immortality. Q. Which cricket nation scored a thousand runs in a week and still went 3-0 down? A. Pakistan, the team who’ll do anything to ensure we keep calling them mercurial.
Even dead rubbers have their little dramas and the first question today is whether Sarfaraz Ahmed and Mickey Arthur can stir their men to win a match. They could start by banning individual high scores: their top order have become the masters of the match-losing hundred. In today’s 50-over game, also known as Eoin Morgan World, it’s OK to cruise to 50 off 50 balls as long as you get the next 50 off 25. Pakistan’s elegant strokemakers have got to become more destructive.
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