Having secured a whopping 169-run win in the third ODI in Nottingham to seal the series, the hosts pulled off a hard-fought four-wicket victory in the fourth match in Leeds to make it 4-0.
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Pakistan will play the last ODI against England on September 4.
Pakistan: Azhar Ali (capt), Sharjeel Khan, Sami Aslam, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Nawaz.
Pakistan Coach Mickey Arthur feels all players got opportunity to prove their metal in the series against England and now it is an open secret that who will be taken forward. “These are very good signs and especially the way Sarfraz batted, this whole tour he’s been exceptional”.
“No regrets about the team – it was an opportunity to get Liam Dawson on the worldwide stage, it was important looking ahead to the winter, in case we go to three spinners, that he had a game under his belt”, Morgan said.
While a World Cup without 1992 champions Pakistan remains unlikely, it is by no means unthinkable.
The tourists’ bowling coach Azhar Mahmood has urged Pakistan to learn the lessons England have taught them in the series so far. “I was missing runs, I got a few 80s so that will really help my confidence”, he said. “Leading by example is very important”. Every game throughout the series, we’ve come out with a hunger and determination to perform at our best. The best course of action may be to pick the same team and see if some consistency will help.
He added: “It’s a very happy camp right now – because it has been a very tough tour for us in ODIs, and getting a victory at the end and finishing on a high is really good”.
“We don’t really worry about the consequences; we just want to be better at executing the shots we want to play, so we can post 350”.
“England are a phenomenal cricket team, power-hitters all the way down”, said Arthur.
England and the seven highest-ranked sides on the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings as on 30 September 2017 will qualify directly for the ICC’s pinnacle 50-over tournament, while the remaining two sides will progress from the 10-team ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018.
The Irishman did not deny his natural disappointment after England fell short in their bid for a piece of history, but was looking optimistically at the bigger picture – which includes a Champions Trophy next season and then a World Cup in 2019, both on home soil.
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“We always try to flawless our fielding and we feel like we’re still a long way off that”, he said. “We’ve lost the game today but still put in a reasonable performance”. “We’re disappointed to lose, but I don’t think it was that bad a performance”. However, a new set of players, who are unburdened by the past results, have broken the staid mould by playing an aggressive brand of cricket.
