Pakistan vs. England: Winners and Losers from 1st ODI
Pakistan took a 1-0 series lead in their four-match ODI series against England with a six-wicket win.
England were poor with both bat and ball and managed a lowly 216 after winning the toss and choosing to bat first. Pakistan had a few wobbles of their own but knuckled down and chased down the target with 38 balls still remaining.
With the momentum of the Test series behind them, Pakistan now have a boost in this one-day series, too.
We’ve picked some winners and losers from the match. Add yours in the comments.
Loser: England's Top 3
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Jason Roy, Alex Hales and Joe Root combined for a grand total of 10 runs. All 10 of those came from Hales, and soon England were reduced to 14 for three. On a track that didn't really have much in it, it was the worst possible start for the visitors.
All three wickets could have been avoidable, but poor application let England down. The middle order might have saved the visitors some embarrassment, but if this is how the openers respond to even the slightest hint of pressure, it doesn't bode well for later on in the series.
Winner: Mohammed Irfan
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Mohammed Irfan continued to regain his form at international level with figures of 10-2-35-3.
The lanky paceman was ruled out of Pakistan's World Cup campaign earlier this year and has been returning to action steadily. Although just one of his wickets—Jason Roy—was a top-order batsman, regaining some confidence is the first step in getting back to his best.
Winner: Pakistan’s Fielding
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As Sky Sports commentator Nick Knight said on air, Pakistan were really solid in the field. They do not have the greatest reputation for their fielding exploits, but they were exceptional on Wednesday.
Two runouts as well as restricting the flow of runs helped the bowlers pile on the pressure and forced England into disarray.
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Loser: Wahab Riaz
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Wahab Riaz bowled exceptionally and had the lowest economy rate of all of Pakistan's bowlers—3.00. So you might be asking yourself why he is on the "loser" list, then.
Well, it's simple really. Riaz was desperately unlucky not to get a wicket for his efforts.
Winner: Younis Khan
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Just before play started, Younis Khan announced he would be retiring from ODI cricket after the game, as reported by ESPN CricInfo.
Khan isn’t one for emotional faffing and is definitely not a player who takes himself too seriously. It’s no wonder, then, that despite failing to get into double figures in the final international one-day game of his career, Khan grinned all the way through the farewells.
That might have been helped by the fact that Pakistan notched up a convincing win, but he’ll always be remembered as a player who saw the lighter side of the game.
Winner: Mohammed Hafeez
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After a solid Test series, Mohammed Hafeez notched up another dependable score and helped Pakistan to victory with an unbeaten 102 off 130.
Stepping in after Pakistan had lost their openers and while the middle order wobbled, Hafeez kept his cool and paced himself perfectly to help see his side home.
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