England outclass Pakistan, cruise to series win

The England bowlers set up the game nicely by restricting Pakistan to a below par total and the batsmen just followed suit to scale down the required runs in just 37.2 overs, thereby sealing the 4-match ODI series 3-0.

After losing two tosses on the trot, Misbah-ul-Haq finally got this one in his name and promptly elected to bat. The venue was different tonight, with the match shifting from Abu Dhabi to Dubai. The Pakistan openers got of a to flier but were pegged back quickly.

They lot four wickets in  hurry, slipping from 49/1 to 50/4. The Quick Start Overs saw  good score on the board, with 50 as the value but the next column read 3 and Pakistan were in some trouble. Misbah fell in the 11th over and now the home side were in all sorts of trouble.

Shafiq then joined forces with Umar Akmal and the duo began a fightback. They managed to score 24 runs in Powerplay 2 without being separated. They managed to up the run-rate as well but in the 22nd over, some mindless running from Shafiq cost him his wicket and he was run out.

Afridi then strode out to the middle. Played a couple of wild hoicks but got away with that, However, in a matter of minutes, he started connecting his hits and Pakistan were looking good to reach 225. However, towards the end of Powerplay 3, which had fetched them 20 runs, Umar Akmal was dismissed, courtesy a brilliant bit of fielding from Patel.

Afridi fell next over and Pakistan started to collapse. A run-ball cameo of 27 from Gul saw them cross the 200-run mark and Pakistan finished on 222 all down. Umar Akmal and Afridi hit half-centuries with the latter earning a Batting Momentum of 68. For England, Finn and Broad picked up 3 wickets each and the former finished with a Bowling Efficiency of 347.

Have a look at the scorecard.

In pursuit of a decent target, the English openers staged an enthralling 170-run stand and didn’t allow any opening to Pakistan. The tourists fetched 60 runs in the Quick Start Overs but managed only 27 in the Bowling Powerplay Overs. The Asian side toiled hard with their spinners troubling the duo of KP and Cook a bit but they survived those moments and built on a solid partnership. Much was expected from the Pakistani fast bowlers under the lights but both Gul and Cheema were off-colour and failed to leave any impact.

Cook stroked yet another half-century but was unfortunate to miss out on the chance of becoming the first English captain to score three ODI tons on the trot. His wicket was claimed Ajmal but it was too late in the match. Kevin Pietersen, on the other hand, finally struck the purple patch and cracked a fine century, gaining a Batting Momentum of 170. His innings was studded with ten fours and a couple of gigantic sixes down the ground. Morgan also added useful runs with Pietersen for the second wicket and they thumped Pakistan by 9 wickets.

England finished with 54 points on the Index, 33 more than the hosts as they outplayed Pakistan in every department. Kevin Pietersen was named the Man of the Match for his scintillating knock with the bat, earning an Overall Castrol Index of 63 but his teammate, Steven Finn with 77 points topped the list.

The last ODI of this series will once again take place at the same venue on the 21st of February.