A FINE fifth-wicket partnership of 103 between Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow and Durham’s Ben Stokes helped England secure a fourth successive one-day global victory over Pakistan, in front of a 15,823 sell-out crowd at Headingley.
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Jonny Bairstow walks off after being dismissed in the fourth ODI against Pakistan in Leeds.
Pakistan’s top order struggled against spinners Adil Rashid, who took 3-47, and Moeen, 2-39, before captain Azhar Ali’s 80 and Imad Wasim’s quickfire late unbeaten 57 off 41 balls gave the visitors a competitive total.
England’s successful run-chase, which was completed with two overs to spare, was spearheaded by Stokes, Bairstow and Moeen – three players who did not bat during their side’s record-breaking score of 444-3 at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.
Irfan took two for 25 in five overs but then twice went on and off the field and bowled only one more delivery, a wide, before, after pulling up in delivery stride, he walked off for the final time to the visible consternation of Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur.
Here they could afford to make a couple of other changes to their bowling attack with David Willey and Chris Jordan returning in place of Mark Wood and Chris Woakes and there was no let up in quality.
England, now 4-0 up in this five-match series, slumped to 72 for four pursuing a target of 248.
Bairstow was drafted in just a half-hour before the start of the fourth ODI – for his first game of the series – after Jos Buttler suffered a hamstring niggle in the warm-up.
After entertaining the home crowd with six fours and two maximums, Stokes was surely annoyed to get out for 69 with a weak slog-sweep to Babar Azam at deep midwicket off Imad Wasim (1-50).
Plunkett held a good catch at point from a Babar Azam cut in Moeen’s first over, and a much better one diving to his left at mid-on as Rashid saw off the unsafe Sarfaz Ahmed.
With Moeen having Nawaz (13) stumped in the 41st over, Pakistan were precariously placed at 180 for seven.
But soon after, Pakistan were celebrating after taking the prized wicket of Root, out for 30 following a top-edge attempting to pull, with Irfan taking the catch at deep fine leg to leave England at 59-3.
Stokes’s innings of 69 was his highest one-day global knock in this country, while his partnership of 103 with Bairstow stoked England’s recovery after they had lost Jason Roy, Alex Hales and Morgan cheaply.
Bairstow’s situation is indicative of England’s strength in depth as they go in search of an unbeaten summer in white-ball cricket.
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Morgan and his players will now fancy their chances of securing a 5-0 series victory by winning in Cardiff on Sunday, with one Twenty20 worldwide to follow in Manchester next week. Bairstow brought his fifty with a boundary in the 38th over.
