Alex Hales does not expect to be an England record-holder for long after his 171 helped the team post a new world one-day worldwide mark of 444 for three en route to thrashing Pakistan on Tuesday. Incidentally, Eoin Morgan also reached fifty in 24 balls in this match.
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There were also impressive performances in that game for Jos Buttler, Joe Root and Morgan himself as England made the highest ever score in a one-day global.
England played some outstanding cricket to defeat Pakistan in the third ODI by 169 runs at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.
England: J. Roy c Sarfraz Ahmed b Hasan Ali 15, A. Hales lbw b Hasan Ali 171, J. Root c Sarfraz Ahmed b Mohammad Nawaz 85, J. Buttler (not out) 90, E. Morgan (not out) 57.
Jos Buttler then blasted the fastest ODI half-century by an Englishman with a 22-ball 50. His last two one-dayers saw him garner just 7 and 14 runs respectively, after he made only 145 runs in the preceding Test series against Pakistan that ended in a 2-2 draw.
England have also announced that national team coaches Paul Farbrace and Ottis Gibson will take charge of the opposing teams in next spring’s inaugural North v South matches in the United Arab Emirates. It was an exceptional innings from Alex Hales and Jos Buttler. Playing with freedom and without fear, England has set six of its best eight ODI scores since the 2015 World Cup.
That was the second-most expensive return in an ODI, behind Australian Mick Lewis’s none for 113 against South Africa at Johannesburg in 2006.
Though Hales grabbed all the spotlight after his wonderful innings, one should also give credit to Buttler, who was in a different league in the third ODI.
Pakistan, top of the Test rankings but a lowly ninth in the ODI table, let through a couple of early boundaries to set the tone for a desperately shoddy fielding display.
England swashbuckling opener Alex Hales has expressed that he felt satisfied to have scored a monumental knock of 171 at Trent Bridge after going through “a tough few weeks” in the ongoing series against Pakistan.
“International cricket’s about how you go through the tough times and how you manage them – certainly today he (Hales) has come back really well from them”.
England’s Alex Hales in action.
In came giant paceman Mohammad Irfan, experienced seamer Umar Gul, batsman Mohammad Rizwan and Wasim.
Next ball, Hales hoisted Shah for six. He beat Robin Smith’s 23-year record in the process.
Pakistan were dismissed for 275 in the 43rd over but not before tail-ender Mohammed Amir chalked up 58, matching Buttler’s 22-ball half-century, which is the highest score by a No11 in an ODI.
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With a power-packed line-up to follow them, including the consistently productive Joe Root and the scorer of England’s fastest ODI century in Buttler, there was speculation about whether England could go even further, though Woakes suggested that the 500 barrier might remain safe for a while yet. However, Woakes returned and wrapped up the innings by having Amir caught off his own bowling.
