Following the early losses of Sharjeel Khan and Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar united with Babar Azam (40) and the dynamic Sarfraz Ahmed (55) to put Pakistan in a strong position.
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In reply to a modest target of 261 runs, Roy (65) and Root (61) shared an 89-run partnership for the second wicket before the weather intervened the match to reduce England’s target to 252 from 48 overs.
England captain Eoin Morgan was 33 not out and Ben Stokes 15 not out.
Jason Roy and Joe Root got a move on but it cost Roy his wicket on 65 in the 19th over when he holed out to Babar Azam.
“I said to the players this morning that nobody’s safe”.
There was a moment of concern for Roy midway through his innings when he received treatment after suffering a dizzy spell, but he insisted it was nothing to worry about.
“Just didn’t have enough food in me, a bit of sugar, but I’m all sweet”. “They got the physio and the doctor on, they told me to get some sugar on board …”
“I was able to get my bearings, settle and re-set myself and just go again”, he added.
When you compare his stats to those of Alex Hales in Tests, the Nottinghamshire opener averaging just 18 in the recent 2-2 series draw against Pakistan, there is a case for giving Roy a shot in the longer form of the game.
After Hales guided Umar Gul to slip, some excellent running was a feature of Roy’s stand with Root, who swept and drove his way to a 23rd score of 50 or more in ODIs, coming at a rate of one every three innings.
Mohammad Amir had five catches dropped off his bowling during the Test series and the Pakistan paceman s bad luck continued Wednesday.
However, wicket-keeper Ahmed called for the catch, only to make insufficient ground and drop the chance despite getting both gloves to the ball.
With Pakistan languishing at No. 9 in the ICC One-Day International (ODI) Rankings, they have little time to make their presence felt in the top 8 of the standings in order to qualify automatically for the ICC World Cup 2019. That was the first of three rain delays in the match.
Root, England’s star batsman in all three formats, was untroubled while hitting six fours in 72 balls.
Linchpin Root struck a hassle-free 61 before succumbing to Azhar Ali’s easy run out from Morgan’s poor call, but England still coasted home.
Pakistan started off its tour to England on a high as they won the first test of the four match series at Lord’s by 75 runs.
“Obviously we always look to score 300, but definitely 280-290 [was needed]”, he said.
England included Jos Buttler and Mark Wood, both back in the side after injury, and the Durham seamer needed just 19 balls to claim his first wicket, his extra pace beating Sharjeel Khan (16) on the pull and taking the edge – his first worldwide scalp since October 2015.
The Pakistan opener let hubris dictate his decision to demand a review, only to be rightly denied a reprieve.
Azhar pressed on to a relatively sedate 84-ball fifty before upping his tempo.
Azhar’s demise in the 36th over, caught top-edging Rashid to Moeen Ali at short third man, brought the experienced Shoaib Malik to the crease.
The next game in the five-match series is at Lord’s on Saturday.
Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali won a lucky toss and elected to bat first on a dry pitch.
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Pakistan were going well at 173-3 after 35 overs, but then lost Azhar before a rain stoppage put a further break on their run-scoring.
