Pakistan grabbed a consolation win and avoided a whitewash in their five-match One-Day International series against England after beating the hosts by four wickets in Cardiff on Sunday. The visitors held their nerves to chase down a target of 303 with 10 balls to spare.
On a lively batting wicket in Cardiff, England were sent into bat. Despite handy contributions from Jason Roy (87 off 89 balls) and Ben Stokes (75 off 76 balls), the hosts lost momentum at regular intervals as they finished at 302/9. Sarfraz Ahmed (90 off 73) was yet again the visitors' go-to man, while Shoaib Malik (77 off 80) also played an important hand in the chase.
In what was a much improved display from Pakistan, there were regular wickets that rocked England. The run rate was well above six for most of England's innings, but it was as though the hosts ran into a roadblock in the last 10 overs, despite possessing a batting order that runs deep.
Hasan Ali's (4/60) deliveries were skidding on to the English batsmen and this time, he was rewarded with wickets. Alex Hales and Roy had motored along well in the early stages before Mohammad Amir dismissed the former. Pakistan were on top when the in-form Joe Root chopped on and Eoin Morgan thumped a full toss back to Imad Wasim.
Roy wasn't perturbed by what was happening at the other end and continued to keep the scoreboard ticking. The South African-born opener stepped out against the slower bowlers and was severe against Malik, belting the former Pakistan skipper for a couple of big sixes.
The adventurous nature of Roy led to his downfall too as he pulled Amir straight down to the throat of Ali at deep mid-wicket. After a laborious start, Stokes got into the groove, but Pakistan firmly fought back in the last 10 overs, conceding only 58 runs and picking up four wickets.
It was the Malik-Ahmed partnership that made the difference for Pakistan in the chase. Mark Wood was spot on and effected a couple of wickets in the early overs. Ahmed, Malik and Mohammad Nawaz fell in quick succession, which would have sent some panic in the Pakistan ranks. Dawson, in his second spell, got his side back in the game.
However, England were unable to sustain the pressure as Mohammad Rizwan and the dependable Wasim calmly took the team past the finish line.
Brief scores:
England 302/9 in 50 overs (Jason Roy 87, Ben Stokes 75; Hasan Ali 4/60, Mohammad Amir 3/50) lost to Pakistan 304/6 in 48.2 overs (Sarfraz Ahmed 90, Shoaib Malik 77; Mark Wood 2/56) by four wickets.
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