Jason Roy overcame a dizzy spell to lead Englands charge to a 44-run win under the Duckworth/Lewis method in a rain-marred first one-day global against Pakistan in Southampton.
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The ODI series follows an exciting test series that was drawn 2-2.
The result means England go 10-8 up on points in the Super Series with four ODIs and one Twenty20 global remaining, the next of which takes place at Lord’s on Saturday. “It’s going to be the first time in my career that I’m going to play in Australia the first week of the season and I’m really excited about it”, 14-time Grand Slam champion Nadal said in a statement.
Despite ascending to top spot in the ICC Test rankings, Pakistan look distinctly less impressive in the ODI arena, where they sit ninth in the standings.
Roy swept Imad Wasim’s left-arm spin for the first six of the match before completing a 43-ball fifty, also featuring five fours.
But Roys innings ended when a lofted drive off spinner Mohammad Nawaz was brilliantly caught just inside the boundary by Babar, running round from long-off.
This day/night fixture at south coast county Hampshire’s headquarters ground is the first of a five-match series.
Root, who had put on 89 in 85 balls with Roy, then took hold of the baton, making 61 before he was run out by Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali.
Earlier, Azhar and Sarfraz Ahmed made half-centuries for Pakistan before rain halted their innings against England at 218 for four. It was a dismissal that would have a knock-on effect later in the innings too, with the opener burning his side’s one review by curiously sending his clearly feathered top-edge to Jos Buttler behind the stumps upstairs.
“A little bit like we saw in the UAE, they have their good days and suddenly the wheels come off from nowhere”.
Pakistan had decided to make first use of an oatmeal-coloured surface, with Azhar perhaps hoping for some assistance later in the day for his spinners. Total: (3 wkts, 34.3 overs) 194. Azhar pressed on to a relatively sedate 84-ball fifty to up the tempo, but fell for 82 off 110 balls, top-edging a slog-sweep off Rashid (2 for 51) to Moeen Ali at short third man.
Sarfraz’s partnership of 46 with Shoaib Malik was interrupted by the weather, with Shoaib caught at mid-off from the bowling of Liam Plunkett in the over after the restart.
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Pakistan One-Day International (ODI) captain Azhar Ali wants to see the team take the form that has made them the world’s number one-ranked Test side into their ODI series against England. England won the opening ODI by 44 runs (Duckworth-Lewis method) as Roy scored a 56-ball 65, with a strike rate of 116.07.
