Leeds: The lead-up to the World Cup, if it means anything at all, has gone spotlessly for England. The final ODI at Leeds was the most comfortable win in a series that has, one washout excepted, consisted only of victories against a Pakistan side which will rue slow starts with both bat and ball in the final fixture as they fell to a 54-run defeat.
While the batting for England has been relentlessly brilliant over the series, and indeed since 2015, it was Chris Woakes’ performance that stood out at Headingley. Three wickets in his first two overs reduced Pakistan to 6 for 3 and in a chase of 352, that was the game just about done. For good measure, he would return to clean up the tail, too, ending with impressive figures of 5 for 54.
Pakistan had brief hope while Sarfaraz Ahmed and Babar Azam put on a massive fourth-wicket stand, contributing 146 while together, but found all hopes dashed by an incredible spell of fielding that yielded three wickets in six overs. Adil Rashid and Jos Buttler were at the centre of it all, Rashid completing a remarkable no-look run-out on the turn to find Babar well short of his ground. He would follow that with an outstanding left-handed catch off his own bowling, and Buttler would add to Pakistan’s misery with the best of the lot.
Sarfaraz cut the ball away to third man – or so he thought – and stepped out of his crease before the ball had quite passed Buttler. The wicketkeeper stuck a leg out, and saw the ball hit his boot and roll back to him. Quick as a flash, he had dislodged the bails, and Pakistan were 193 for 6, still 148 runs adrift.
Until then, the Pakistan captain’s performance only raised further questions about his reticence to bat in the top five, given how effective he has been higher up the order and his struggles lower down. One of the best in the business at rotating the strike, he came together with Babar to regroup expertly and when the ante needed upping, he took the attack to the spinners, bludgeoning Adil Rashid for two fours and a six off consecutive deliveries as he raced towards what would have been a well-deserved hundred.
But the most decisive blows had already been struck in the first fifteen minutes. (Agencies)
