Contributing 45 runs for Pakistan Mohammad hafeez was the leading Scorer while, Wahab riaz also boosted up the scorecard of Pakistani team by scoring 33 runs with three sixes.
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But Azhar was still able to take positives from the performance.
Just when Pakistan looked good for a big score, a misunderstanding between the duo led to the run-out of Azhar.
Batting fluently in partnership with the more dogged Buttler, he passed 40 for the sixth time in his last eight ODI innings.
FOUR: Sweet timing from Sarfraz Ahmed as the ball finds the gap between covers and long-off.
Taylor, who at 5 foot, 2 inches (1.6 metres) is the shortest player around, said facing Pakistan paceman Mohammad Irfan – the tallest-ever to play cricket at 7 feet, 1 inch (2.2 m) – was amusing.
Joe Root swept a full toss straight to deep square-leg as Zafar Gohar took a wicket with only his fifth ball in global cricket.
Azhar Ali and Shoaib Malik both went that way when relatively well set, but Mohammed Rizwan, the 23-year-old batsman, was the most comical culprit.
From 92 for one, Pakistan slipped to 145 for six.
“In 10 overs, we lost six wickets for 30 runs”, he said.
But Taylor maintained that, while he has become well-used to dealing with the locker-room jokes about his height, he is determined he will have the last laugh when the two teams lock horns again on Tuesday.
Morgan said that him and Alex Hales also had to go through a tough phase as they contributed 60 runs for the third wicket when England were 27/2 after losing two early wickets. The ball had clipped the thigh pad. Malik (1-56) had Morgan castled in the next over as England were in trouble at 93 for four. He hit two sixes off legspinner Adil Rashid but otherwise consumed 71 balls, and was at fault in running out Azhar.
Buttler, with only 29 runs in his previous five ODI attempts, was given a life on nought when Sarfraz Ahmed missed a stumping chance, but he showed plenty of focus and fortitude to compliment Taylor and finish one run shy of a half-century.
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And Woakes then ended Pakistan’s innings by bowling Mohammad Irfan to record his sixth four-wicket haul in ODIs – more than the rest of England’s attack put together. “England bounced back and bounced back well, we probably were not thinking that they are going to play that well so we have to play out of our skins to make it 2-1.”
Waqar said Pakistan was poor Friday, sliding to 188 all out in chase of a 284-run target.
