ENGLAND WIN BY 44 RUNS (DLS Method)
The umpires have called the game off, so England go 1-0 up in the ODI series and insert your own about the Super Series here. They controlled the match from the start and were comfortable winners. Thanks for your company; goodnight!
“Hello,” writes Brenda Parker. “I have gone through your Linkedin profile and I am convinced that you can handle this job position with HANGZHOU IRON & STEEL GROUP COMPANY.” Well, that’s it from me. Bye!
The cut-off point is 2215: if the players aren’t back on by then, England will win on Duckworth/Lewis.
RAIN STOPS PLAY (AGAIN)
34.3 overs: England 194-3 (Morgan 33, Stokes 15) The batsmen have resumed at the wrong end, according to the Sky statistician. Warwick Armstrong bowled consecutive overs in an Ashes Test in 1921 either side of a rain break. There is another rain break here, after three deliveries. There are a few boos from those who haven’t gone home but the umpires have no choice; it is raining heavily again.
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Some reading while we wait for play to resume
Will Cooling has sent this piece on the merits of the T20 Blast’s current structure.
England’s revised target is 252 from 48 overs, so they need 59 from 84 balls.
Play will resume at 9.35pm, if it doesn’t rain again.
The umpires are inspecting, and he covers are slowly coming off.
More hot six chat “Talking of the significance of sixes and of inflicting mental disintegration, and thinking about the relative rarity of Test sixes back in the day, I recall the Australian allr-rounder Alan Davidson turning a 1961 Test match on its head by taking 20 in an over - two sixes and two fours - off David Allen, who had just ripped through the Aussie second innings. There were nine wickets down at the time and Davidson led the last wicket partnership to give Australia a winning lead. I was 9, watching a black and white telly, sickeningly gripped. I’ve just checked here and it was the 4th Test, Old Trafford, 1-all in the series at the time. After Davidson gave them a chance to win, Benaud finished the job by collapsing England from the top. But for me Davidson was the story. And amazingly enough, there’s even a video of that over.”
Ah yes, great call; that was a brilliant innings, and so important that he hit Allen out of the attack. That was the “we’ll do these jokers, Rich” match. I’d seen video of some of Benaud’s wickets but never Davidson’s innings; that’ll be a nice pre-bedtime treat.
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RAIN STOPS PLAY
34th over: England 193-3 (target: 261; Morgan 33, Stokes 14) Stokes times Malik down the ground for four, a lovely stroke - but the rain has not eased and the umpires have admitted defeat. England are 46 ahead on Duckworth/Lewis, should that be the end of the match.
33rd over: England 185-3 (target: 261; Morgan 31, Stokes 8) Stokes slams Wahab on the bounce to extra cover, where Azhar picks up and throws at the non-striker’s end in one movement. England get two overthrows but it was worth the try, even though Morgan would have been home anyway. The next ball is a trampolining bouncer that goes for five wides. It’s now pouring down, so the players might be going off soon. England are well ahead on D/L, and need 76 from 17 overs. Mohammad Amir is back on the field.
32nd over: England 174-3 (target: 261; Morgan 28, Stokes 5) Morgan gets his second boundary, sweeping a dreadful delivery from Malik around the corner. Then Stokes is fortunate to survive when he drags a delivery back onto his foot and almost onto the stumps.
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31st over: England 167-3 (target: 261; Morgan 22, Stokes 4) Wahab is back and so is the rain, though it’s not heavy enough to force the players off. England are 31 ahead on Duckworth/Lewis.
“Evening Rob.,” says Simon McMahon. “Mrs McMahon has switched to the GBBO. That’s the Great British Bake Off. I’m now watching 12 people making jaffa cakes in a tent. I feel an Ian Faith moment coming on.”
30th over: England 165-3 (target: 261; Morgan 21, Stokes 3) Stokes is beaten by a gorgeous delivery from Amir that swings in a fraction and then straightens past the edge. Surely it’s time to ask Wahab Riaz to raise hell at the other end; Pakistan’s best chance of winning this is to take two quick wickets here. He might have to come on at this end because Amir is walking off with what looks like some kind of side strain. That could be a problem for the rest of the series, never mind tonight.
“What strange days these are Rob,” says Guy Hornsby. “Yes, our Test team is good but has been for much of the last decade. This one day team though, I honestly can’t remember a more promising group of players since early KP years (it’s safe, isn’t it), certainly in terms of strength in depth. Roy had become a staggering player, we have a clever and varied attack and runs ridiculously deep. The only way is down, obviously.” Quite. I’d say this is certainly the most promising ODI batting line-up we’ve ever had.
29th over: England 162-3 (target: 261; Morgan 20, Stokes 1) Malik skips through an over that costs just four.
28th over: England 158-3 (target: 261; Morgan 17, Stokes 0) Ben Stokes is the new batsman.
“If we’re talking six to win the game,” says Robert Taylor, “then I nominate this. Sorry about all the messages, I’m off work with a cold...”
WICKET! England 158-3 (Root run out 61)
Eoin Morgan has run Joe Root out. He called for a very dodgy single into the covers in an attempt to get off strike against Mohammad Amir, and Root was well short when Azhar Ali hit the stumps direct. Root has the face on as he stomps off, and that isn’t going to make Morgan feel any better about life.
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27th over: England 156-2 (target: 261; Root 60, Morgan 16) A poor delivery from Nawaz is swept easily for four by Root. He is already only four away from equalling Marcus Trescothick’s record of 12 ODI hundreds for England, and in an hour’s time he might be three away.
“Ah Monty,” says Niall Mullen. “We’ll always have Cardiff.” It’s funny that Monty and Graham Onions are probably best remembered for performances with the bat.
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26th over: England 151-2 (target: 261; Root 56, Morgan 15) There is a little bit of turn now, both for Nawaz and Malik, but you still feel they will need an unforced error to get a wicket. Morgan almost provides it when he misses an attempted reverse sweep at Malik. He is a long way from his best, so for the most part he is sensibly dealing in no-risk singles.
25th over: England 147-2 (target: 261; Root 54, Morgan 13)
24th over: England 146-2 (target: 261; Root 53, Morgan 13) Shoaib Malik comes on to bowl some of the old off-spin, and is milked for a couple. England need 115 from 26 overs and will have to work extremely hard to cock this up.
23rd over: England 144-2 (target: 261; Root 52, Morgan 12) Root drags Nawaz round the corner for four to brng up the usual half-century, an apparently effortless effort from 56 balls. Nawaz then gets one to turn and bounce sharply, the first time that has happened in the innings, and beat the outside edge.
“All this talk of sixes makes me ponder how much cricket has changed,” says David Hopkins. “When I started watching you never saw them in test cricket, in fact I wonder if they were considered a little indecorous. Gooch only bothered with three of them out of 333!” Lara didn’t bother with any in his 375.
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22nd over: England 137-2 (target: 261; Root 47, Morgan 11) Morgan gets his first boundary, deliberately cutting Gul into the ground and wide of slip for four. Gul has already gone for 46 from six overs.
21st over: England 130-2 (target: 261; Root 45, Morgan 6) Morgan’s heart takes a trip to his mouth when he chips Nawaz just short of midwicket. Morgan batted sensationally last summer, and kickstarted England’s ODI revolution, but since then he has really struggled. The world is a better place when Eoin Morgan is in form. Mind you, this batting line-up is so good that you could almost pick him as a specialist captain. Root gives another demonstration of that excellent with a precise dab for four.
“Never mind about Dan Lawrence,” says Phil Rhodes. “Of the recent England -19s, Lancashire’s Haseeb Hameed is the man most likely to play ‘proper’ international cricket first. I’d send a video but the quality of his leave and judgement of where his off stump is doesn’t translate well into the modern era of highlights packages.”
Yes, he sounds really promising. To adapt a line from Paul Coupar about Glenn McGrath’s style of bowling - in the modern game, batsmen like Hameed are the real mavericks.
20th over: England 122-2 (target: 261; Root 39, Morgan 4) “Could it be?” says Alex McGillivray. “A magical Bell comeback? Tell me it can be true!”
Yeah I think it will happen. In principle it’s fine to recall somebody like Bell for a challenge like India – England don’t pick enough older players - but his form this season is not great. That worries me a bit, and I’ll be relaying those concerns to Trevor Bayliss on Snapchat later tonight.
19th over: England 118-2 (target: 261; Root 38, Morgan 1) The new batsman is the captain Eoin Morgan, who is in serious need of a score. He has happy memories of this ground; he scored a glorious century in the ODI decider against Pakistan here six years ago.
“The shot from 25 seconds,” says Chris Drew. “We all love Monty, and wish him well.”
WICKET! England 116-2 (Roy c Babar b Nawaz 65)
Roy’s excellent innings is ended by a brilliant catch. He charged the left-arm spinner Nawaz, went for a big stroke over the leg side and got a leading edge straight down the ground. It was going for six but Babar took a beautifully judged running catch right on the boundary edge.
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18th over: England 114-1 (target: 261; Roy 65, Root 35) Umar Gul returns to the attack. Roy walks down the track to his first ball and plays an outrageous flick-drive over midwicket for four. “What a shot that is,” says Nasser. Some of his shots in this innings have been awesome.
17th over: England 107-1 (target: 261; Roy 59, Root 34) Mohammad Nawaz, another left-arm spinner, comes into the attack. It’s hard to know what to say about this, so comfortable are England at the moment. On Sky, the housewives’ favourite weatherman Nasser Hussain informs us that there is some thunder and lightning in the area. England are about 400 runs ahead of Duckworth/Lewis.
16th over: England 100-1 (target: 261; Roy 55, Root 31) Root, who has had a few problems with left-arm spin in one-day cricket, gets a last-minute touch on a delivery that would otherwise have trapped him LBW. The last ball of the over is rubbish, a leg-stump half-volley that Root sweeps round the corner for four.
Thanks to Daniel Harris for this. He looks ridiculously good for a 19-year-old. In fact, based on that 24-second video I’m inking him for 12,000 Test runs.
15th over: England 91-1 (target: 261; Roy 51, Root 26) Roy drives Wahab for a single to reach a high-class fifty from 43 balls. He seems fine now after a bit of dizziness earlier in the innings. England are in complete control; they need 170 from 35 overs.
“It looks as if you’ve been considering six-hitting from an aesthetic viewpoint, but what about significance?” says John Starbuck. “That would bring up the last over of the last World T20, and also the Plunkett effort against Sri Lanka. Not what it is, but what does it do? It’s an added pressure and therefore more commendable done properly.” Especially if it’s for Pakistan against India in a major final.
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14th over: England 87-1 (target: 261; Roy 47, Root 24) Imad Wasim almost slips one through Root. He is bowling economically – just 14 from his four overs – but Pakistan need more than that at the moment.
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13th over: England 83-1 (target: 261; Roy 47, Root 22) Roy checks a drive at Wahab that bounces short of mid-off. Wahab looks lively, and is bowling in excess of 90mph. Pakistan really need wickets.
12th over: England 81-1 (target: 261; Roy 46, Root 21) Roy sweeps Wasim over square leg for the first six of the match, just a lazy swish of the bat. England are cruising.
“I still think this gets overlooked in Ashes ‘05 memories, Rob,” says Will Riddington. “His very first Test match.”
The lack of respect was astonishing. The manner of that innings must have helped England’s batsmen when they decided to go berserk on the first day of the second Test.
11th over: England 73-1 (target: 261; Roy 39, Root 20) “Take your pick out of these three,” says Robert Taylor. “This was the innings that made me fall a little bit in love with our Ben. I like McCullum but it was fun seeing a plan to bounce a batsman out go so spectacularly wrong.”
Ah yes, good choice. All the positive things that have happened to England in the last year and a bit, in all forms of the game, stem from that Test and Stokes’s performance in particular. It blew away 18 months of almost incessant negativity.
10th over: England 66-1 (target: 261; Roy 36, Root 17) There has been no sideways movement for the quicks, nor for the left-arm spinner Imad Wasim, who is back into the attack. He is managing to keep it tight, however; his second over costs just a couple.
9th over: England 64-1 (target: 261; Roy 35, Root 16) It’s time for Wahab Riaz. His first ball is too straight and flies way for four leg-byes, though he is soon into his work and beats Root with a rapid leg-cutter.
“Love this from Ricky Ponting,” says Rob Wilson-Fry. “Also hate this from Ricky Ponting. God, he was relentlessly good good against, wasn’t he?” Oh my, that’s a preposterous shot.
8th over: England 56-1 (target: 261; Roy 32, Root 15) Root drives Amir for a couple of fours, the second a beautiful back-foot stroke. England are teaching Pakistan a lesson in one-day batting. England are teaching Pakistan a lesson in one-day batting. They require 206 from 42 overs.
7th over: England 46-1 (target: 261; Roy 31, Root 6) Roy creams a poor ball from Umar Gul through the covers for four. There has been no sideways movement, which won’t please Pakistan. They might need Wahab to go into Shane Watson mode in the next hour or so.
“My favourite six was when a player from Lancaster University smashed one through my economics tutor’s windscreen as he was coming down the A6,” says Dave Brown. “I guess this is not really the nomination you were looking for. As for the professionals it has to be the mighty Garth Le Roux at Hove, launching one over midwicket but getting a leading edge for six over cover point. This was before the big bats came in!”
That definitely sounds like one for the Joy of Six: Moments That Must Never Appear On YouTube Because They Can’t Possibly Be As Good On Video As They Are In The Mind’s Eye (also featuring Roy Fredericks at Perth in 1975-76).
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6th over: England 36-1 (target: 261; Roy 26, Root 1) Roy might be struggling to see the ball properly but it is still hitting the middle. He times Amir through point for three more, another fine stroke, and then Root is beaten on the drive. Wickets are Pakistan’s only friend in this situation - and they should have had a second there! Roy top-edged a pull high in the air towards short fine leg. The keeper Sarfraz ran a long way, waved everyone aside - and then dropped it. The daft thing is that it landed almost exactly where Umar Gul was standing in the first place. That’s a serious error of judgement from Sarfraz.
In other news, my colleague Jason Deans has nominated Beefy’s first-ball six against Australia during the 1985 Ashes, a textbook example of mental disintegration. The other great thing about that video is Jeff Thomson’s reaction when he catches Botham.
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5th over: England 30-1 (target: 261; Roy 21, Root 1) “Unless this was some kind of fever dream, didn’t Paul Nixon once hit Murali for six?” says David Hopkins. “Rather like an OBO reader scoring a date with Natalie Imbruglia.”
Yep, and in the World Cup too. That little Nixon cameo in the first half of 2007 was wonderful. He came, he swore, he conquered.
WICKET! England 27-1 (Hales c Hafeez b Gul 7)
Alex Hales’ unhappy run continues. He opened the face in an attempt to steer Gul to third man, but got it too fine and Hafeez took a smart low catch at slip.
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4th over: England 25-0 (target: 261; Roy 20, Hales 5) After a good three of four minutes’ consultation with the physio, and much grumbling about lost time in the commentary box, Roy decides to continue. He still doesn’t seem right, mind you. There is one ball left in the over, and it’s a dot ball.
“I really enjoy Wasim and Mikey on comms explaining fast bowling,” says Gary Naylor, “but maybe they could just suggest, once in a while, that it isn’t quite as easy as they make it sound #alltimegreats.”
Er, who hasn’t got one to pitch middle and hit off from around the wicket at the crunch point of a World Cup final, or taking 16-fer on a road in the middle of a heatwave?
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3.5 overs: England 25-0 (target: 261; Roy 20, Hales 5) Pakistan have always known the importance of wickets in limited-overs cricket - remember Mushtaq at the 1992 World Cup - and they will surely need to bowl England out if they are to win this game. Roy has raced to 20 from 16 balls, though he suddenly looks a bit dizzy and has called for some assistance. This is a bit strange.
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3rd over: England 22-0 (target: 261; Roy 18, Hales 4) Imad Wasim is taken out of the attack with figures of 1-0-1-0, replaced by the returning Umar Gul. At his best he is a seriously good one-day bowler, though he has not been in the side for a while. His second ball is too straight and Roy checks a wonderful stroke through square leg for four. “What a shot!” says Wasim Akram on Sky. It’s the first of three boundaries in the over, the others coming from a wristy ping through midwicket and a swaggering checked drive through the covers. All three were quite gorgeous strokes. He looks one helluva player when he’s in this form.
Anyone out there? I can’t believe none of you have nominated your favourite six, especially as I went to trouble of writing about five of mine during the tea break.
2nd over: England 10-0 (target: 261; Roy 6, Hales 4) Mohammad Amir’s first ball is a bit short and flicked rather majestically through midwicket for four by Jason Roy, who then inside-edges an inducker to long leg for a single. Hales then gets off the mark with a beautiful back-foot drive for four. I don’t know what material they use for that blue England shirt, but Hales is definitely comfortable in it. Erm, saying which, he is turned round by the next ball and edges it on the bounce to second slip. A lively over.
“I shouldn’t be surprised by this, but I am,” says Brad McMillan, looking down at his three feet. “I had to give up my ticket today and I’ve just arrived home, roughly 10 miles from the Rose Bowl, from work, which is less than 5 miles from the Rose Bowl, and there’s been no rain at either of the places I’ve been. How on earth has it rained at the Rose Bowl? Weird.”
1st over: England 1-0 (target: 261; Roy 1, Hales 0) Azhar Ali decides to open the bowling with the left-arm spinner Imad Wasim, an interesting move given that he also has Amir, Umar Gul and Wahab. It works in a sense, with just one from the over, though Wasim Akram is not impressed - he says Pakistan need wickets, not dot balls, and thus should not give the new ball to a non-spinning spinner. Anyway.
@DanielHarris Roy also has a better average than anyone else in the top ten on that list (better than Sehwag, McCullum and Gilchrist)
— Rob Taylor (@iancognito75) August 24, 2016
Good point. You have to be a bit careful with these stats, as it’s a batsman’s game more than ever, but it’s understandable that we should get giddy upon seeing an Englishman at the top of any ODI list.
Sky are showing this video of funnies before the start of the second innings. Some absolute gems, especially Bumble’s umpiring.
There were no sixes in Pakistan’s innings, a rarity in modern ODIs and as good an excuse as any to plug this piece on five of my favourite sixes. What’s your favourite six, eh?
Let’s start the innings with a statgasm. Jason Roy’s ODI strike rate of 105.17 is the highest in history among openers who have faced 500 balls or more.
An email! “As you’re on your way in I thought I’d repeat this tip now Dan has left,” writes John Starbuck. “You can use the term ‘slipspace’, or any position e.g. ‘coverspace’, ‘thirdmanspace’, to indicate where a shot has gone but the fielding captain has omitted to put a man there. The implication is that there should have been a fielder in that spot and but for dozy captaincy there would have been and a catch would have resulted. Bowlers can enjoy using the term to improve their vituperative vocabularies.”
‘Cowcornerspace’ sounds like a diabolically bad post-techno supergroup.
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Hello folks. It’s a reflection of England’s progress in the last 14 months that a target of 261 looks straightforward. You can never be sure against Pakistan’s bowling attack but England bat so big and so deep - Plunkett at 10, Bairstow at 12 - that it would be a surprise if they did not win this. Pakistan, as Daniel said, never really got going. Even the data doesn’t think 260 for six is a good score.
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Well, that innings never quite got going - at no stage could it be said that the bat was on top. Well, it could be said, but not with any accuracy. Azhar, Babar and Sarfraz all batted well enough, but well enough just isn’t enough anymore. Of course, Pakistan could still win by bowling brilliantly, but they’ve not exactly set it up.
Anyway, Rob Smyth will take you through England’s reply - bye.
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ENGLAND NEED 261 TO BEAT PAKISTAN
50th over: Pakistan 260-6 (Nawaz 17, Imad 18) Plunkett has the ball, and the first three balls yield only singles, one of them via Imad’s ambitious lap. Next time he’s on strike he goes for power, and connects beautifully, but picks out Morgan at cover - a direct hit and it’s a run out, but he misses and ruefully sakes his head. Imad goes hard at the last ball but gets a toe on it, and a single to long on is all he can manage.
49th over: Pakistan 256-6 (Nawaz 15, Imad 16) After the first two balls yield three runs, finally Nawaz middles one, a drive through mid-off, but there’s that man Woakes, diving athletically to keep it to one. A dot follows - really it should be a wide because it’s very high indeed - and then a pull for for two followed by a thunderous cross-batter down the ground for four, which makes for ten off the over. More like it.
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48th over: Pakistan 246-6 (Nawaz 14, Imad 7) Imad slashes at Woakes’ first ball, looking to go over midwicket and actually going over the slips that aren’t there, if that’s etymologically possible. And both he and Nawaz keep flashing and swinging, but Woakes is giving them nowt with which to play and all they can manage are singles, five of them. That was a very good over indeed, and Woakes has 1-43 off his ten. What a player! Always rated him myself.
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47th over: Pakistan 241-6 (Nawaz 12, Imad 4) Wood returns and the batsmen try to force him away but can’t, so Nawaz flicks him to fine leg and this time they run the first one hard which enables them to return for the second. But still, five runs off the over is modest in the extreme.
“I too find brollies mystifying,” emails George Browne, “or rather, I used to.
“However, I now understand that the correct way to use an umbrella is to get one’s valet to hold it out. In the absence of a valet, use the brolly to hail a cab. Hope this helps.”
That sounds like a recipe for a cracked iPhone, but, on the other hand, what doesn’t.
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46th over: Pakistan 236-6 (Nawaz 9, Imad 2) Plunkett comes around the wicket to Imad, and h emanages just a single off the first two deliveries. Two dots then follow, Plunkett showing his variation with a slower ball and a bouncer, before Nawaz forces four through cover, then absolutely murders four more to square-leg. He hit that with extreme prejudice.
45th over: Pakistan 227-6 (Nawaz 1, Imad 1) Really good delivery that - for the wicket. Shows Woakes’ confidence, choosing to send one down out the back of his hand with the batsmen looking to come at him, and shows his quality, that he did it so well.
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WICKET! Sarfraz c Wood b Woakes 55 (Pakistan 226-6)
Slower, fuller one from Woakes that Sarfraz goes after, making room to loft over mid-on, but he’s through the shot too early and lobs more or less straight to the man. Pakistan are in all sorts now.
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45th over: Pakistan 226-5 (Ahmed 55, Nawaz 1) Of course, the downside of unloading the suitcase is that Sarfraz can’t really afford to get out. Beefy reckons that they should be putting the fielders under pressure by running the first run harder.
44th over: Pakistan 224-5 (Ahmed 54, Nawaz 0) Surely the batsmen will throw everything at it now? But there’s a delay while Sarfraz sorts out a situation with his bat.
WICKET! Shoaib Malik c Rashid b Plunkett 17 (Pakistan 224-5)
Shoaib makes room to lift Plunkett over mid-off, but just picks out the man stood there instead. On third viewing, that’s a pretty good snaffle, running finer and hands behind his far trap.
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44th over: Pakistan 224-4 (Ahmed 54, Malik 17) Plunkett returns and his first three balls yield three singles; Beefy is chuntering.
43rd over: Pakistan 220-4 (Ahmed 52, Malik 15) The delay will favour England, I imagine - Pakistan need momentum, and instead, they’ve got Woakes hustling through the five balls remaining in his over. Two from it? not good enough.
Right, off we go!
No time lost.
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Back on in ten minutes!
Lovely tackle.
In the studio, they’re talking about DRS.
It's stopped raining!
But is still gloomy.
“This must be frustrating to watch as a Pakistan fan,” reckons Maps Place. “It reminds me an awful lot of pre-renaissance England. Crawling along towards a probably insufficient total and protecting a long tail. Now I’ve said that they’ll bowl us out for under 100 won’t they. Sorry.”
Maybe no one in cricket can quite believe that England aren’t still England. And Pakistan do have a useful attack, but even sensible batting should get whatever the total ends up being.
So, some emails - here’s Stephen Brown: “As an Englishman, I love to moan. How is it, that a match that is by definition 100 overs can start at 2pm and guarantee all the overs will be bowled, even if there are some delays (I believe there has to be more than 30mins lost before overs are lost but do correct me if I’m wrong), and yet, in a day’s play starting at 11am, no one can come up with a system to guarantee 90 overs are actually played? That’s not to mention the fact that there are often more boundaries and wickets in the former as well as a guaranteed innings change.
Baffling.”
Yes. I guess Test cricket is a more sedate game - more messing about between deliveries, not going on when it’s dark. But yes, they should at least make the players stay out there and complete the day, when it’s light. In England for sure, where there’s no real dew issue.
RAIN STOPPED PLAY
On one of the hottest days of the year. Why, living in England is like living in the tropics!
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43rd over: Pakistan 218-4 (Ahmed 51, Malik 14) And after one ball of Woakes’ over, the umpires have seen enough; off they go. If that’s the end of the innings, England will need 260 to win, but there’s still a bit of time with which to play - the half-hour break between innings can be shortened to begin with.
42nd over: Pakistan 217-4 (Ahmed 51, Malik 13) Rain is falling, more heavily and steadily, and Wood charges in. His speed endurance is excellent - he’s up around 90 unless he’s bowling a cutter or a slower ball, rather than chucking in an occasional effort ball. And the batsmen play him nicely enough without finding the boundary - though Sarfraz does glance two to third man which brings up a ridiculously competent knock. We saw in the Test series how good he is, and also what a competitor; he’s going to be a lot of fun to watch over the next few years.
“‘Strangle’ is when you actively try to choke someone to death”, emails the knowledgeable John Starbuck. “‘Strangulated’ is just the act of being strangled so it implies a possibly self-generated action.”
41st over: Pakistan 209-4 (Ahmed 46, Malik 11) Because of Root’s contribution, Morgan has options regarding who bowls the remaining overs. Meanwhile, Pakistan have to balance not losing more wickets, given rain that’s getting harder, versus scoring runs, given rain that might not get any harder. I say Pakistan have to balance, but since when was Sarfraz a balancing sort? He middles a pull first ball, picks out the fielder, and the batsmen swap singles until he flips two to midwicket, then digs out an attempted yorker that Jordan, on as a sub, fumbles on the boundary; now there’s something you don’t see often. Ten from the over, and there’s another rarity - attitude from Woakes, who stares Jordan out. .
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40th over: Pakistan 199-4 (Ahmed 38, Malik 9) Wood replaces Rashid, who’s figures were 2-51 off 9. And it’s starting to rain, but finally the lights are on, so Sarfraz, eager to get on with it, bravely charges, whamming over mid-off for four. Eight from the over, and some umbrellas up; I don’t get umbrellas. Getting wet is much less annoying than holding something out straight for ages.
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39th over: Pakistan 191-4 (Ahmed 32, Malik 7) Ten an over from here, and you’d still back against Pakistan.I wonder if they’re just trying to stay in the game and hope that their bowlers can do something handy - in which case, leaving out Yasir looks even more curious, all the more so given how easily Rashid has wheeled through his overs. Anyhow Woakes is back, and he tries Shoaib out with a couple of short ones, a tactic learnt from the Test series. Five off the over.
38th over: Pakistan 186-4 (Ahmed 30, Malik 4) They still haven’t turned the lights on, and when Sarfraz swings the bat at one Plunkett doesn’t quite pick it up - though it was probably dropping short in any event. Next ball he misses a sweep and there’s an appeal, but strangulated - it was clearly going down. Do strangled and strangulated mean the same thing, like burgled and burglarised?
37th over: Pakistan 181-4 (Ahmed 27, Malik 2) Plunkett continues - I used to like it when he bowled in tandem with Saj Mahmood, in order to call them Plunkett and Mahmood, which is like Plunkett and Macleane, which is hilarious. Anyway, it’s getting dingier at the Ageas; groundstaff are poised.
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36th over: Pakistan 178-4 (Ahmed 26, Malik 0) Pakistan are in a situation.
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WICKET! Azhar Ali c Moeen Ali b Rashid 82 (Pakistan 178-4)
Azhar chucks everything at one Rashid tosses up, trying a slog-sweep, but instead top-edging to Moeen, running in from short third man.
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36th over: Pakistan 178-3 (Ali 82, Ahmed 26) Rashid begins his eighth over and still has a slip. They take three from the first three balls and then Azhar goes over the top, but doesn’t get all of it - they run two and it drops safe.
35th over: Pakistan 173-3 (Ali 79, Ahmed 24) Azhar has kicked for home now, and he makes room to absolutely base Plunkett through mid-off for four. Then he cuts to gully again, but again finds Roy in the road, so goes again towards mid-off - but doesn’t get enough of it. I should also say that it might rain later, in which case Pakistan’s wickets in hand become useful.
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34th over: Pakistan 167-3 (Ali 74, Ahmed 23) Bit more like it from Azhar, a booming inside-out thump over mid-off for four. But no more boundaries from the rest of the over, though he’d probably take an average of nine from the remaining 15.
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33rd over: Pakistan 158-3 (Ali 68, Ahmed 20) Back comes Plunkett, and after two singles, Azhar stands and delivers, baseballing him over cow corner for four - he didn’t get all of it, but he got enough. He’s upped things since reaching his 50, and he did need the runs, but I’m still not sure that making sure was the best possible use of his time - though I entirely grasp the counter-argument that at the start of series, the team need him not worrying about contributing.
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32nd over: Pakistan 151-3 (Ali 62, Ahmed 19) Another excellent stop from Roy prevents Azhar gliding Rashid though cover, so next ball he takes the fielder out of the equation, clearing his front leg and absolutely dematerialising a flat, one-bounce four down the ground. England have wheeled through a whole lot of overs of spin here, without any kind of assault.
31st over: Pakistan 145-3 (Ali 57, Ahmed 18) Another over from Moeen goes by without much in the way of vicious one-day international batting - five singles, and that’s that.
“In reply to John Starbuck,” emails Mark Lewis, “the term ‘babar’ also features down here in Bristol. And most of the West Country, in fact. Almost exclusively prefaced with the words ‘Alright me old’ babber. To essentially mean ‘hello’. Often, babber is (inexplicably) interchanged with the word ‘cocker’.”
In Yiddish, “bubbe” means Grandma, from the Hebrew, “booba”, meaning doll.
30th over: Pakistan 141-3 (Ali 55, Ahmed 15) At last a sweep! “Maybe Azhar is on the move after reaching 50,” says Ian Ward; how very kind of him. It gets four, but not much else happens.
“Great to see John Steinbeck joining us in over 27,” emails David Hopkins, formerly, of Chelsea, leeds United and the dentist. “Is he emailing in from East of Eden Gardens? Perhaps sampling some of Beefy’s new wine, the Grapes of Both?”
Apologies Mr Starburst.
29th over: Pakistan 134-3 (Ali 50, Ahmed 14) Moeen continues, and after a single to Sarfraz, Azhar flicks another for his 50; well batted and all, but he looks far more pleased with himself than the match situation suggests that he should be. Those two singles are the only runs from the over, but at least there are wickets in hand; has anyone heard the knew A-ha single?
28th over: Pakistan 132-3 (Ali 49, Ahmed 13) Sarfraz is doing his best to add some attitude to proceedings, but it’s not really ones and twos that are required, rather fours and sixes. Another over rushed through, just four from it, and someone needs to start swinging.
27th over: Pakistan 128-3 (Ali 48, Ahmed 10) There aren’t terrible things going on here, so one doesn’t want to rule Pakistan out, but this is very England so far.
“Don’t know if this was a bit of only Nottingham dialect,” emails John Steinbeck, “but ‘Babar!’ used to be a warning to small children, such as when they might be tempted to touch a (hot) fireguard or saucepan on the stove. We could all use a warning voice at times.”
26th over: Pakistan 124-3 (Ali 46, Ahmed 8) Sarfraz isn’t mucking about, turning a full toss through midwicket for an urgently needed four. His brassneck and busyness is just what Pakistan need at the moment.
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25th over: Pakistan 117-3 (Ali 45, Ahmed 2) A quiet one from Moeen, just four singles from it.
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24th over: Pakistan 113-3 (Ali 45, Ahmed 0) Michael Holding is not at all chuffed with Sharjeel - he’d put him across his knee if he could, and he’s not even a vested interest.
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WICKET! Babar Azam lbw b Rashid 40 (Pakistan 113-2)
Sharjeel is in big, big trouble. There’s bat in this, but Babar can’t review because his buddy already used up the opportunity. Cheers, buddy! Love you bud!
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24th over: Pakistan 113-2 (Ali 43, Azam 40) England feel sufficiently confident to stick in a spinner to Rashid - one sweep is all it’ll take to get him moved to the fence. But instead, Babar hoiks from outside off to cow corner for a one-bounce four.
23rd over: Pakistan 108-2 (Ali 42, Azam 36) England will want to break this partnership, but it is not threatening them at the moment. Four more singles from the over, and even if Pakistan average eight an over from here England will still fancy themselves.
100 up for @therealPCB in 21 overs. What's a good score for the visitors from here? https://t.co/XbFzNuRrnw https://t.co/G8kbcxiWqu
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 24, 2016
22nd over: Pakistan 104-2 (Ali 40, Azam 34) On comes Rashid, and you wonder quite what England think of him as a bowler. I guess they’re happy in limited overs, but an inability to ever find room for him in a domestic Test suggests that the answer as regards that format is not a lot. Anyway, there’s some turn for him, the movement away from the right-hander forcing the batsmen to stretch to score and four singles is all that they manage.
21st over: Pakistan 100-2 (Ali 38, Azam 32) Babar waits for Moeen and feathers him around the corner to the fence; Pakistan need more of those, many more. But the manage only two more from the over.
20th over: Pakistan 94-2 (Ali 37, Azam 27) Azhar clumps Wood on the up, but again, Roy makes an excellent stop in the gully, then dives again in response to a shot played off the next delivery,fingering the ball to Stokes who shies at the stumps as the batsmen sneak a single. Buttler lets it by in case it’s a direct hit, and they run another on the overthrow.
19th over: Pakistan 89-2 (Ali 34, Azam 26) Important partnership, this, now, now, this. 34 off 36 at the start of the over, and Moeen comes into the attack - will they try to milk or to attack? The former to begin with - five singles off the over.
18th over: Pakistan 84-2 (Ali 31, Azam 24) Wood begins with a very sharp bouncer that Babar starts to hook before thinking better of it. We then have a delay, with Buttler needing some new gloves and there being movement behind the bowler’s arm, so early drinks are taken.
“Just wondering”, wonders John Foster, “if I’m the only one who, whenever they mention Babar Azam by name on commentary, mentally launches into an infinitely looping chorus of, ‘ba-ba-ba, ba-bar a-zam / Ba-Ba-Ba, Ba-Bar A-Zam / BA-BA-BA, BA-BAR A-ZAM’ to the tune of ‘Barbara Ann’ by the Beach Boys? I apologise for now passing the curse on to you too. Muahahaha.
Also, I’m pretty sure it is one chap who does the England PA announcements - I seem to recall an announcement at one of the internationals a couple of years ago saying that the then-incumbent was standing down due to ill health. Might be worth a speculative application?”
You’re not the only one - and I’m the same with Baba Rahman. And Moeen, Moeen, Moeen, Moeeeeeen - I’m begging of you please don’t take my scalp.
Any more for any more?
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17th over: Pakistan 82-2 (Ali 30, Azam 23) Morgan persists with Root - I suppose it seems a good idea while the batsmen are relatively becalmed. But then he gives Babar some width, and is truly thrashed through cover. A wide follows, then two singles and a three; the damage isn’t terrible, but as frequently happens, the part-timer got one over too many. Leave em wanting more...
16th over: Pakistan 70-2 (Ali 28, Azam 14) Wood returns and Babar drives him through mid-off for two, then for three - the retort, as you might expect, is a delivery headed for a swiftly withdrawn phizog. Then he tries the sideways leap to wide of the crease, keeping the batsmen guessing.
15th over: Pakistan 65-2 (Ali 28, Azam 9) Root drags one down, horrible, horrible, and Azhar gives it the treatment, caning it for four through cover. It is greeted with Azonto music, which I imagine would baffle those who invented the thing; I wonder if bad bowling or good batting are sufficiently everyday to count as a move.
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14th over: Pakistan 57-2 (Ali 26, Azam 3) Plunkett bounds in and his line is better, keeping away from the leg side. Two singles are all he concedes.
Is is the same bloke on the PA at every England game? Seems to me that it is; that sounds like a handy job.
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13th over: Pakistan 55-2 (Ali 25, Azam 2) Babar off the mark with a single and two more follow it. Another very handy over for England.
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WICKET! Mohammad Hafeez c Hales b Root 15 (Pakistan 52-2)
Hafeez tries the sweep, top-edges, and Hales hangs on on the square-leg fence. Pakistan aren’t exactly in trouble, but much more of this and they’ll be struggling to win. And well done Eoin Morgan for bringing Root on so early and giving him a second over.
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12th over: Pakistan 52-1 (Ali 20, Hafeez 15) Quiet over, until Azhar turns one fine behind for four. It didn’t quite carry to Buttler, nor was it an especially adroit shot.
“Regarding your “Thing” for Liam Plunkett I must profess I have something of a thing for him myself,” confesses George Rogers. “It’s largely because in an interview recently in Big Newspaper, Plunkett divulged the difficulties of sustaining a long distance relationship with a woman in Philadelphia. What with myself being equally on the wrong end of that sort of an arrangement with someone in that exact city, it is probably the closest I have ever felt to having a sincere affinity with a professional sportsman.”
On the plus side, Philadelphia is home to an outstanding array of emcees, such as Asher Roth.
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11th over: Pakistan 48-1 (Ali 20, Hafeez 11) Root into the attack now the powerplay is done and concedes three singles. England will take that, and already it looks like it’ll require an onslaught at the end to make this total competitive.
10th over: Pakistan 45-1 (Ali 18, Hafeez 10) Let’s have another chat about not losing a review when it’s umpire’s call; yes, let’s. But then Mohammad Hafeez distracts us with actual cricket, clipping a wayward delivery over midwicket for four.
Couple of typos: “I once replied to an American woman called Doris who’d given me some vital information with a brief ‘thanks very much Dorks’,” emails Tom Atkins; “I once signed off an email to management with ‘Kind Retards’,” tweets Spike Harby.
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Review shows that it's umpire's call
Not sure the “well done” was necessary there, if we’re being harsh.
10th over: Pakistan 41-1 (Ali 18, Hafeez 6) Plunkett sends down a couple of short ones and the second is clouted to the fence by Hafeez. Next ball, much fuller, Plunkett hits the pad - not out says the umpire - review says Eoin Morgan.
9th over: Pakistan 37-1 (Ali 18, Hafeez 2) Michael Holding does not believe in par scores; nor does Kevin Pietersen. You get as many as you get, trying to get as many as you can. Four off the over, shoved through midwicket by Azhar.
Tangentially to a topic under discussion, this, on England’s troubled relationship with one-day cricket and by Peter Miller and Dave Tickner, is excellent.
8th over: Pakistan 33-1 (Ali 14, Hafeez 2) I’ve got a bit of a thing for Liam Plunkett, probably similar to my thing for Steven Finn - handsome, bowling the kind of style that I’m most petrified to face. And he’s quickly consoling himself with that revelation when Azhar leg-glances, gets an edge, and a diving Buttler can’t hang on; four.
“I’d certainly have the following players up for consideration,” emails Matt Emerson: “Botham, Gooch, Fairbrother, Collingwood, Flintoff, Gough, Randall and Mike Hendrick.
Also, given your ‘Such is England’s riches’ comment, what would our 2nd XI look like? It would probably have Bell, Bairstow, Willey, Jordan and Broad in it, so would be better than most ODI sides we had in the 90s...”
Harvey was of his era - no chance in this. I’m too young for Randall and Emerson, but otherwise, I’m taking Flintoff and Botham, but that’s it.
7th over: Pakistan 27-1 (Ali 9, Hafeez 1) Azhar cuts hard, and it’s headed straight for Hales at gully - he drops it, then makes sure everyone knows that he didn’t pick it up, because that isn’t part of the skill. Not a good couple of weeks for Hales, but you’d take it; maiden that should’ve been a wicket maide
WATCH: @mawood33 is too quick for Sharjeel, who edges to Buttler for 16. PAK 26-1: https://t.co/XbFzNuRrnw #ENGvPAK https://t.co/JMck3m5zLK
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 24, 2016
6th over: Pakistan 27-1 (Ali 9, Hafeez 1) You know you’ve typo’d “shot” or “cuts” when suddenly your inbox racks up. Any more for any more? “Sorry, I know you’re really busty” is another I once perpetrated. Anyway, England set a field which suggests Hafeez is getting some teeth music and Wood is teasing him by leaping wide of the crease to suggest an imperilled body. Wood nips off for a drink, so we might see someone else once Woakes is done with the next over.
Really? Sharjeel opts, after internal debate, to review Surely he’d have known from the off. Anyway, we see the edge of which he must’ve had an inkling - “you can give him out again”. Indeed.
WICKET! Azhar Ali c Buttler b Wood 8 (Pakistan 25-1)
Sharjeel plays a pull, top-edges, and is caught behind.
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5th over: Pakistan 25-0 (Ali 8, Khan 16) Sharjeel taps to leg and sets off- this is dicey, and Woakes hares after the ball to sidefoot at the stumps - hit and it’s gone. But he misses. And then, after Ali takes a single, Sharjeel carves over the top - it’s frightfully inelegant - but goes for four nonetheless. Woakes is underwhelmed, and responds well, rapping the pad when a pull is missed - there’s an appeal and a discussion about a review thereafter, but in the end they decide that the ball pitched outside leg, which it did.
4th over: Pakistan 18-0 (Ali 10, Khan 7) Beefy is happy that the third umpire is on no-balls, while Sharjeel takes a single and Azhar two, before Wood chucks in a wide. He responds with another delivery that clatters the pad - it’s outside the line, and Azhar was probably just about about playing a shot. But England won’t mind this start at all.
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3rd over: Pakistan 14-0 (Ali 5, Khan 9) Ali throws hands at one that gives him width, swinging away, and edges four over the slips. If you’re gonna go, go hard, we all declare in unison, stroking our beards.
“Good to see that Roy Wood has been selected for the England side,” emails James Procter-Blain, “despite being nearly 70. Will the rest of Wizzard be playing too? Actually, I’m sure there’s a great Cricket / Glam rock crossover discussion to be had. Actually, no I’m not. It would be awful.”
Is this a joke about Glamorgan that I don’t get? Barwick City Rollers, or somesch?
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2nd over: Pakistan 8-0 (Ali 0, Khan 8) There’s talk in commentary about whether this is England’s best ODI side ever, and I was thinking the same myself earlier today; if you were picking your best ever England one-day side, would it just be this team, but with Swann in it? Anyway, Wood’s in and up beyond 90, cracking Sharjeel on the pad - there’s an appeal, but the ball pitched well outside leg. Next ball beats the bat as well, full and slanting in, but Sharjeel retorts well, pulling four, before miscuing, nearly playing on, and earning four more.
“There you go posting a video,” emails George Wood, “and there I go getting excited that I might get to watch some abbreviated highlights of a fine spell of bowling from a promising paceman. And then what you get is a hyper edited load of nonsense featuring nothing but the wicket balls.
You feel like the people who put these promotional packages together must really despise sport of all descriptions. The gratification won’t ever be instant enough for people who can only see the value in Wickets and Sixes. It’s a crude analogy and one which is likely to preclude this comment from consideration for public posting. But even porn directors know better than to fill their trailers with a super cut of the climax.”
Ha! But yes, this how we package things nowadays; does it look good on YouTube, which will get more hits than the game did viewers.
1st over: Pakistan 0-0 (Ali 0, Khan 0) Beefy reckons Bairstow is unlucky not to get picked - he is - but is yet to offer a suggested droppee. The problem is that if it’d be anyone, it’d be the captain, and that’s not happening. Some swing there for Woakes first up, and Azhar tries to get moving with a paddle to backward point, but Roy leaps to his left to snatch the ball. Maiden.
Chris Woakes will open the bowling for England. It’s almost as though the selectors know what they’re doing.
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“If Stokes can’t bowl I feel we could give Duckett a go,” tweets Rob Taylor, “as he’s probably a better bat right now and we can let Stokes heal fully.”
My guess would be that Stokes is fully healed and, as Nick Knight says, needs to develop as a one-day batsman. And to do that, he needs to play.
Ben Stokes is a remarkably driven individual, in an earnest yet fearsome way. We’re being shown an interview with him in which he tells us how good England are; you believe him.
Is there a reason cricketers have squad numbers beyond money and football?
Talking of Wood, what of Plunkett? He was remarkably unfortunate to lose his spot in the Test side after doing very well - but such are England’s riches that he’s waiting for injury, and even then. “Such are England’s riches”; what on earth is going on?
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Welcome to the real football factories back, sir.
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Wasim is surprised at the omission of Yasir on a dry track, and we’re shown footage of Wood making Root hop about on T20 finals days. He could be very handy in the winter Tests, too.
Team news
No Yasir Shah for Pakistan - Wahab comes in - and Umar Gul is back. England do not play three specialist spinners; I know! Wood is back, and Stokes is back as a batter - how are they going to sneak Billings into this line-up.
England: Hales, Roy, Root, Morgan, Stokes, Buttler, Ali, Woakes, Rashid, Plunkett, Wood.
Pakistan: Khan, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Mohammad Amir.
Pakistan win the toss and will bat!
England would’ve batted - team news to follow.
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“Welcome to the great Wasim Akram ... and to Nasser.” It wasn’t even deliberate.
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Sky are currently showing a programme about Murali. Mike Hussey has just told a yarn about how when they played for Chennai, no one wanted to sit next to him on the plane because he never shut up about the game. So Hussey volunteered and, according to Matthew Hayden, the two spent time arguing about which of them was the real Mr Cricket. Hussey eventually fell asleep - this is basically the wholesome version of the David Clarence Boon challenge - leading Hayden to conclude that the person who loves the game more than anyone else on the planet is Murali.
I absolutely love that.
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According to the ICC world rankings, England are the fifth best team in the world. Is that accurate, a reflection of skew-whiff systems of calculation, or a reflection of how high the standard now is?
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England have an exciting, innovative, likeable and thoroughly brilliant one-day team; just think about that for a second. Roll the words around your eyeballs and tongue, luxuriate in them, because it is unusual and it is wonderful.
Pakistan are the number 1 Test team on the planet; just think about that for a second. Roll the words around your eyeballs and tongue, luxuriate in them, because it is unusual and it is wonderful.
Only one of those phantasmagorical paragraphs is necessarily significant to our fun for this afternoon; both of those phantasmagorical paragraphs could be significant to our fun this afternoon.
As far as England go, we more or less know what we’ll see - in description, if not in detail. Their batsmen will hit it hard and far, a couple for a prolonged period, and their bowlers will bowl fast and full. That’s what being good at one-day cricket means, more or less.
Pakistan are harder to pin down. Their bowling should still be decent, and their batting may well - hopefully will - be decent too, fortified by the derring-do of Test team. Or it may well be hopeless. It’s going to be a lot of fun finding out.
Start: 2pm BST
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