The scores finished level but Chris Jordan’s tight over with the ball allowed just three runs, which England passed easily.
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But defending 10 in the final over, Woakes – who had figured in a seventh-wicket partnership of 60 in 40 balls with James Vince – overcame being clubbed for six over long-on by the tail-ender Sohail Tanvir.
After Pakistan dominated the Test series, winning the second and third Tests by 178 and 127 runs after a draw in the opener, and England turned the tables in the ODI set with three straight wins after dropping the first match of that series. Pakistan’s highest-ranked batsmen are Ahmed Shehzad (16th) and Umar Akmal (18th), who have both dropped two points apiece.
Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi: “Credit to England, they did well”. They might also prevail in the final match of the series as the Pakistani team seems to have lost the morale.
That win wrapped up the series 3-0 and, coming hot on the heels of their prior 3-1 triumph in one-day internationals (ODIs), skipper Morgan is adamant his men are still to unearth their full potential collectively ahead of the upcoming tour of South Africa and next year’s T20 World Cup over in India.
Morgan and Jos Buttler, facing Afridi’s leg spin, knocked off the four runs required with a ball to spare to complete a remarkable whitewash. Unfortunately time is running out for Pakistan with the World Cup just only three months away. And given we don’t have the benefit of a particularly strong domestic T20 tournament it is great to see how players perform under the pump.
Pakistan once again endured a false start and as has been routine through the course of this limited overs series, their middle order crumbled with the exception of Shoaib Malik.
No other team is as talented as Pakistan when it comes to devising the most comical of ways to dismiss themselves.
England 154 for eight in 20 overs (James Vince 46, Chris Woakes 37; Shahid Afridi 2 for 19) tied with Pakistan 154 for seven in 20 overs (Shoaib Malik 75, Shahid Afridi 29; David Willey 3 for 36).
But when Malik and Afridi piled on 63 in 38 balls for Pakistan’s sixth wicket, England looked out for the count.
But Root, with 32 from 22 balls, became a has-bean when Afridi drifted one back to bowl him, Moeen followed first ball to a return catch, only 97 runs for nine times out in all competitions to show for his time in the UAE.
England needed early wickets, and got them. Afridi hit three sixes, one of them clean out of the ground, and though he was out in the 18th over, Malik raced past 50 and simply kept going.
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Opening for the first time, Vince was eventually caught in the deep from the penultimate ball of the innings – but like Woakes, he had hit a career-best by then.
