ICC WORLD CUP 2019 England v Pakistan at Trent Bridge June 3rd

ICC WORLD CUP 2019 England v Pakistan at Trent Bridge June 3rd

Neil Whitaker reports

PAKISTAN bounced back after their humiliating defeat to the West Indies in their first match to beat England by 14 runs despite two Englishmen scoring a century for the first time in a World Cup match.

England skipper Eoin Morgan said: “I am not a believer in hundreds winning matches but I am a believer in good all round performances win you matches but they kept us in the game.”

Was this the match that the wheels of England’s World Cup fell off with poor fielding, catches were dropped, run outs were missed, and overthrows were thrown. Mohammad Hafeez had three innings. He was dropped and should have been run out by Jason Roy.  On 14 Hafeez danced down the wicket and drove Adil Rashid in the air and Roy running round from mid off dropped a sitter.

He should have been run out by that Roy shortly after he had reached 50, when Hafeez and Sarfraz Ahmed both found themselves at the bowler’s end but Roy dove over the ball.  Hafeez became the oldest player in World Cup history to hit a 50.

Morgan added: “We had a bad day with our fielding, we’ve gone from one of best displays at the Oval to one that has cost us this game.  Our bowling and batting was good. I thought that Pakistan never got away from us despite the outfield being good and fast.  It is frustrating because we could have done something about it.”

Hafeez said: “We were confident of winning today, we knew that a score of 340 plus would be hard to chase down.  It was a good pitch but there was something in for the spinners.”

With Sarfraz they added 80 for the third wicket in ten overs.   Hafeez drove a Rashid googly for a straight six. Sarfraz played a tennis shot off Chris Woakes to the mid wicket boundary to bring up the Pakistan 250. In the next over Sarfraz clubbed Ben Stokes to the mid wicket boundary.

 Sarfraz reached his fifty with four overthrows from Joe Root.  Sarfraz dabbed Jofra Archer down for a single and set off, with Sarfraz miles out Root threw at the stumps and missed with no one backing up the ball flew to the boundary.

Hafeez flicked Mark Wood off his legs for his final six but two balls later he drove Wood looking for another six but this time he found Woakes who took his third catch.  With the departure of Hafeez the rest of the Pakistan batsmen had one idea just throw the bat and it worked as they added 69 runs in seven overs.  Four balls later Asif Ali uppercut Archer for a six over point.  Going for another six Asif Ali cut Wood but this time he found Jonny  Bairstow who took a great catch on the cover boundary.  

Sarfraz was deceived by a slower ball from Stokes,spooned the ball in the air and Woakes ran to cover to take the catch. With that catch Woakes became the first England non keeper to take four catches in a ODI.  Three balls later Root at backward point took a steapling catch to dismiss Wahab Riaz.

Pakistan made two changes from the side thrashed by the West Indies three days previously, Shoaib Malik came for Harris Sohail and Asif Ali replaced Imad Wasim.

Following Pakistan’s abject performance against the West Indies pace on Friday, England brought in the extra pace of Mark Wood replacing Liam Plunkett, the only change from England’s victory over South Africa at the Oval. 

But the Pakistan openers set about the English bowlers and became the first team batting first not to lose a wicket in the first powerplay.  In fifth over Inman-ul-Haq went down the wicket to Woakes and launched him into the  Radcliffe road stand for the first six of the match up to that shot his opening partner Fakhar Zaman had been the more aggressive of the pair.

Fakhar brutally smashed Woakes off his back foot to the extra cover boundary and set off early for the next ball and ramped him to the fine leg boundary.

Inman clipped Archer off his legs to the square leg boundary to bring up the fifty partnership in the eighth over.  Two balls later England reviewed a leg before shout against Inman but the replay showed he had got an inside edge.     

Moeen Ali was brought into the attack and he dried the runs up and got the breakthrough when he beat Fakhar and Jo’s Buttler managed to stump him by millImetres.  He got his second wicket with the Pakistan score on Nelson.  Inman-ul-Haq went down the wicket and launched him over wide mid off. He use have thought that he was going to reach his fifty in the grand manner with a six but Woakes ran 20 yards to take the catch just inside the boundary.

Babar Azam went down the wicket to Rashid and dragged him over long on for a six after he had drilled the previous ball for a boundary.  He finished the over with another boundary.  In the next over he reached his 22nd ODI fifty from 50 balls and included four fours and a six. On 60 he survived a direct hit from Morgan at mid wicket after he wanted a quick single.

Moeen Ali got his third wicket with his fifth ball after he was brought back into the attack in the first over after drinks.  Babar went down the wicket and miscued his drive and Woakes running in from long on took his second catch.

Root and Buttler nearly got England over the line with a fifth wicket partnership of 130 in 17 overs.  Root nearly made Pakistan pay for dropping him on nine.  Mohammad Amir had an eventful third over, first Root found himself on the ground when he dived to get out of the way of a bouncer from him.  Root got an inside edge to the next ball which narrowly missed his stumps and flew to the boundary.  He chased the next ball which was angled across him and got a thick edge to it.  Babar at slip got both hands to it diving to his left but couldn’t hold it.

In their chase England lost their first wicket in the third over when Roy swept a full length ball from Shadab Khan, the first time that the leg spinner has opened the bowling for Pakistan.  As they did in Pakistan’s innings England went for an early review and lost it.

Bairstow smashed Shadab straight back over his head into the Radcliffe Road stand.  He clipped a poor ball from Wahab off his legs to the fine leg boundary, but was lucky with next ball when an inside edge went to the fine leg boundary.  After hitting 32 from 31 balls with four fours and a six, Bairstow tried to run Wahab to third man but just tickled ahim to Sarfraz.

On four Morgan was lucky to escape with a top edge off Hasan Ali and he was relieved to get a boundary.  He made another five when he played back to Hafeez when he should have gone forward and was bowled.

Shoaib Malik took his first wicket in the World Cup for 12 years when Stokes cut a ball that was too close to him after the Pakistan spinners had dried the runs up, to give Sarfraz a simple catch. Stokes and Root had added 32 in seven overs, and Stokes was caught three times off bump balls.

Buttler launched Hafeez over the mid wicket for his first six, in the previous over he had hit Shoaib straight for a one bounce four.  Root finished the over by dancing down the wicket and hitting Hafeez for another six.  Buttler moved across his stumps to Wahab and ramped him to fine leg for a four.

Root brought up the fifty partnership off 38 balls with an edge past Sarfraz through the vacant slips to the boundary.

On 33, Buttler played half forward to Shadab, was wrapped on the pads and given not out,Pakistan reviewed it and the replay showed it to be going over.  In the next over Buttler edged Wahab just  wide off Sarfraz for another four.  He reached his fifty which came from 34 balls with a six over square leg off Shadab.

The partnership was broken when Root sliced a cover drive off Shadab to Hafeez at backward

On two Moeen Ali went down the wicket to Shadab but he couldn’t read the googly but luckily for him it took the edge of his bat which surprised Sarfraz and he missed the stumping.

Buttler reached his ton when he drove Amir just wide off at mid off and went for a boundary.  Buttler cut the next ball from Amir to Wahab at point, at this time the result was never in any doubt but then Moeen Ali and Woakes added 32 in three overs.

Woakes got too far under a drive of Wahab and sliced the ball to Asif Ali running in from the point boundary but he couldn’t take the catch.  Two balls later Woakes drove him over mid off for a six. The partnership was broken when Moeen Ali was decided by a slow bouncer and hit the ball in the air and Fakhar at point took the catch. Woakes tickled the next ball to Sarfraz.

Last man to go was Archer who had a big swing at Amir and found Wahab at third man.

SCORECARD

June 3, 2019 12:00 am

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