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Thursday March 28, 2024

Azhar, Sarfraz hit fifties as Pakistan post 260-6

By our correspondents
August 25, 2016

SOUTHAMPTON, England: Pakistan squandered a good chance to put England on the back foot despite fifties from Azhar Ali and his deputy Sarfraz Ahmed in their opening One-day International (ODI) here at the Ageas Bowl on Wednesday.

Azhar returned to ODI form with a 110-ball 82 and Sarfraz hit a fluent 55 off 58 balls, but Pakistan failed to really exploit good batting conditions under glorious Southampton skies. In the end, they managed to put 260-6 on the score-board after failing to lift the run-rate in the last 15 overs.

Pakistan were at one stage 178-3 in the 36th over with Azhar and Sarfraz looking set to lift the pace of the innings. A decent score of 280 plus seemed to be on the cards but Azhar’s dismissal slowed down Pakistan.

Pakistan’s cause was also hurt by a rain-break at 218-4 in 42.1 overs as they failed to find the boundaries in the last ten overs despite conserving plenty of wickets.

Agencies add: Adil Rashid picked up two wickets for England and Mark Wood made an encouraging return to the side, as the pace bowlers kept a tight rein on the Pakistan scoring at the death.

Pakistan had decided to make first use of an oatmeal-coloured surface, with Azhar perhaps hoping for some assistance later in the day for his spinners.

The captain fell for 82, his first ODI half-century in 13 innings, and although he could not push on to three figures himself, he provided the top-order platform that Pakistan have so often lacked in recent encounters and glued the innings together for long enough to allow Sarfraz to lead the charge — although it never really materialised as the clouds swept in and the floodlights came on.

Azhar put on half-century stands with Babar Azam and Sarfraz, following a cagey opening in which Wood’s pace caught the eye, but after a 20-minute rain delay Pakistan lost their way during the last ten overs. Sarfraz and Shoaib Malik perished in identical fashion, chipping wastefully to mid-off, and Chris Woakes was particularly impressive as the southpaw allrounders Mohammad Nawaz and Imad Wasim struggled to raise the tempo.

From 199 for 4 after 40 overs, they could only manage to add a further 61 runs, giving them the lowest first-innings total in an ODI at the Ageas Bowl (from a full 50 overs) since England made 256 for 6 against Pakistan in 2010. Pakistan failed to clear the ropes at all and only four boundaries were scored in the final ten; only four runs came from the last over, bowled by Liam Plunkett.

Wood, making his first international appearance since England’s tour of the UAE last year, was consistently above 90mph in his opening spell — his ankle no longer impeding his ability to throw his body through the crease — and he claimed the first wicket of the day, Sharjeel Khan getting a thin top edge on a pull, confirmed by the Snickometer after a review, after biffing a few early boundaries.

Pakistan finished the ten-over Powerplay on 45 for 1, though Azhar was a touch fortunate to still be at the crease after twice being dropped on 9. The first, off the bowling of Woakes, was a straightforward chance to Alex Hales in the gully — though he gestured that he hadn’t picked the ball out of the crowd — and then in the following over, Plunkett’s first, Jos Buttler could not hold on to a leg-side nick diving one-handed to his left.

England snuffled out a bonus wicket through Joe Root’s part-time offspin, as Mohammad Hafeez did little to suggest the change to a white ball would improve his form by top-edging a casual-looking sweep straight to deep backward square leg, but Azhar and Azam found their range with a 61-run stand in 70 balls to take Pakistan into three figures.

The nimble-footed Azam scored two-thirds of those runs and was looking increasingly fluent but, a ball after carting a dragged-down Rashid delivery just short of the rope at wide long-on, he received a poor decision from umpire Simon Fry. Defending with bat close to his front pad, replays revealed a clear inside edge but, with Sharjeel having wasted Pakistan’s one review, Azam had to make his way off lbw to Rashid for 40.

Azhar attempted to forge on after reaching his half-century, bludgeoning five more boundaries over the course of the next six overs to take his stand with Sarfraz to 65, but he was then undone by a some extra bounce for Rashid, a top edge looping to Moeen Ali running across from short third man.

Score Board

Pakistan won toss

Pakistan

*Azhar Ali c Ali b Rashid       82

Sharjeel Khan c Buttler b Wood      16

M Hafeez c Hales b Root      11

Babar Azam lbw b Rashid     40

†Sarfraz Ahmed c Wood b Woakes 55

Shoaib Malik c Rashid b Plunkett     17

M Nawaz (3) not out 17

Imad Wasim not out  17

Extras (w 4)   4

Total (6 wickets; 49.5 overs)         259

To bat: Wahab Riaz, M Amir, Umar Gul

Fall: 1-25, 2-52, 3-113, 4-178, 5-224, 6-226

Bowling: Woakes 10-2-43-1; Wood 10-0-57-1 (3w); Plunkett 9.5-0-52-1; Root 4-0-26-1 (1w); Ali 7-0-30-0; Rashid 9-0-51-2

England team

A D Hales, J J Roy, J E Root, *E J G Morgan, B A Stokes, †J C Buttler, M M Ali, C R Woakes, A U Rashid, L E Plunkett, M A Wood

Umpires: R J Bailey and S D Fry (Australia). TV umpire: M Erasmus (South Africa). Match referee: J J Crowe (New Zealand)