Any hopes Pakistan had of carrying that momentum into the early part of their innings were undone as Woakes and Willey, who bowled 15.4 wicketless overs between them in the first ODI, destroyed their top order.
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“That tour is a different series, a different format against a different country”.
“I know Hales was trying to get his hundred and knocking it around, but with the new regulations as they are, knowing that the extra fielder goes out in the final 10 and things will become a little more tricky, England missed a trick there and it’s one area they can still improve on”.
“We did (feel 283 was enough)”, Hales added.
With three wickets, Riaz was the best bowler in the innings.
Shoaib Malik introduced to the attack.
If there was any doubt Hales should be next in line to audition as Cook’s latest partner after seven failed experiments stretching back to the retirement of Andrew Strauss, this secured him at least a shot at the role. Hales was on 48 then.
Hales and Root prevented the scoreboard from stagnating before Hales broke the shackles with two sixes against Shah in the 30th over.
Hales was named as the man of the match for his blistering century.
When Hales went in the 39th over, neatly stumped by Sarfraz after missing a sweep to give Iftikhar a maiden wicket on debut, the onus was on Root to kick on. “Azhar said his team would fight back”.
Pakistan’s dying bowling have to be credited as properly with Wahab being the decide of the lot with three wickets and forty three runs in his quota of 10 overs.
In his previous seven one-day knocks for England, the Nottinghamshire batsman had a top score of 22 and this could turn out to be a “eureka” moment in his career.
Pakistan also wobbled at 41-3 before opener Mohammad Hafeez hit a brilliant, match-winning 102 not out to help his team overhaul the target in 43.4 overs.
Joe Root also scored a fifty and went from playing second fiddle to Hales early on to leading the charge after his dismissal.
After a nervy start, including three wides in his first over, the left-armer harnessed the movement to pin Azhar lbw on the crease and then hit a second opener in front too as Bilal departed on a DRS overturn. At that stage, Pakistan was 50 for 5 and in need of a big partnership. But with the required rate climbing, Pakistan had to take a more proactive approach.
But on a pitch which was sluggish and dusty at the outset and is about to be used for the second time in three days, even after his figures of 9-0-60-0, it is not an obvious time to leave out leg-spinner Adil Rashid.
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Hafeez and Malik (26) put on 70 for the fourth wicket, with both taking a particular liking to England’s spinners, who once again struggled for success in the UAE, though Moeen did strike in the 25th over as Malik flicked the off-spinner to Roy at midwicket.
