Record-breaker Alex Hales was unaware he had made English cricket history with his country’s highest one-day global score – until his home crowd told him so at Trent Bridge. The record also pushed South Africa’s 439 runs against West Indies in 2015 to the third spot in the record books.
Advertisement
Will England go on to break yet more ODI records or can Pakistan finally arrest the host’s runs?
Hales flayed four sixes and 22 fours in his 122-ball knock to surpass Robin Smith’s 167 not out against Australia in Birmingham in 1993. Captain Azhar Ali, who made 80 from 104 deliveries, was the only specialist batsman to make a significant contribution.
But the fit-again Imad Wasim’s unbeaten 57 and his eighth-wicket stand of 56 with Hasan Ali took Pakistan past 200.
“Exceptional innings from Alex Hales and Jos Buttler”, Azhar said.
Already trailing 2-0 in the series, Pakistan never once flirted with reaching the mammoth total.
England’s Alex Hales celebrates his century.
Stokes stroked a almost run-a-ball 69 and Bairstow, included at the last minute in place of the injured Jos Buttler, made 61 as England chased down Pakistan’s 247-8 with two overs to spare.
He believes England could well challenge their own new record, however, having now hit all their top five ODI totals in the space of the last 15 months – since they first topped 400 against New Zealand at Edgbaston. Wahab Riaz, the man who tortured Shane Watson in that World Cup past year with one of the best ODI spells you will ever see, went for 110 runs in his 10 overs, the second highest ever in one-day internationals.
“There’s batsmen all the way down to No.11 who can clear the ropes”.
# England’s innings was studded with 16 sixes, the most in an ODI innings by England.
Pakistan began brightly during its massive chase as Sharjeel Khan teed off from the get-go. After the embarrassment at Trent Bridge, Pakistan made four changes, with bowlers Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah dropped along with all-rounder Shoaib Malik.
Then Rashid signed off with the wicket of Azhar, whose hard work culminated only in a tame chip to long-off from the final ball of the leg-spinner’s 10 overs.
Advertisement
Unfortunately for Pakistan, his heroics merely delayed the inevitable and served only to reduce the margin of defeat.
