Pakistan urge patience after Nottingham nightmare

By our correspondents

September 01, 2016

NOTTINGHAM, England: Pakistan team officials urged patience amidst widespread calls of a surgery in the country’s limited-overs squad in the wake of a 169-run defeat in the third One-day International (ODI) against England here on Tuesday night, writes Khalid Hussain.

It was complete carnage at Trent Bridge as England plundered a seemingly toothless Pakistan attack to amass a world record 444-3 and take a winning 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

Alex Hales finally returned to form with 171, the highest individual ODI score by an England batsman while Jos Buttler hit a 22-ball fifty — the fastest by anyone from his country.

The way Pakistan surrendered in the game triggered widespread criticism with many experts suggesting that unless sweeping changes are carried out, the national ODI and Twenty20 International teams will continue to lag far behind leading sides like England.

But Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan manager, stressed that his young side needed more time to come at par with the best in the world.

“It was like in a bad dream last night,” Intikhab told ‘The News’ here on Wednesday. “We bowled badly, fielded badly and whatever we tried didn’t work,” added Intikhab, a former Pakistan captain.

“But I’m confident that this was a one-off thing. It was embarrassing but on a bad day anything can happen.

“These are mostly young boys who don’t have the sort of experience that helps you when you are caught in a situation like last night’s. With more matches they will learn and will know what to do when the opposition is on outright attack and everything is working for them.”

Intikhab said that the players received a dressing down from their coaches after the match adding that he was confident Pakistan will bounce back from the Nottingham nightmare.

“I still maintain this team has potential. They can do much better if they apply themselves properly.”

Pakistan will need all the firepower they can generate to tackle England, who are now looking set for a 5-0 whitewash after massacring the visitors at Trent Bridge.

Agencies add: Buttler struck the last ball of the innings for four to take Eoin Morgan’s men past Sri Lanka’s 443 for nine against Netherlands in July 2006.

The hosts passed their previous highest total of 408 for nine, made against New Zealand last year, while captain Eoin Morgan got to his half-century off 24 deliveries as he and Buttler shared an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 161.

“Quite a monumental knock from Alex Hales,” said Morgan. “To score 171 in any form of the game is remarkable and our innings was based around that.

“Records are hugely important, it emphasises we’re not just a chasing side. We probably have 17 or 18 players who have played in the last year and a half and could come into this side.”

Hales flayed four sixes and 22 fours in his 122-ball knock to surpass Robin Smith’s 167 not out against Australia in Birmingham in 1993.

Caught off a no-ball on 72 and dropped on 114, the 27-year-old right-hander passed Smith’s score by pulling Hasan Ali to the mid-wicket boundary.

The bowler trapped him lbw with the next delivery to end a second-wicket stand of 248 with Joe Root, who fell soon after for 85, but the pain was far from over for the Pakistan bowlers.

Buttler hammered six sixes and three fours to get to his half-century and finished 90 not out off 51 balls while Morgan ended unbeaten on 57.

Hales and Root’s partnership was also England’s third-highest in One-day Internationals.

Pakistan, whose batting looked shaky in the first two ODIs, showed that their fielding and bowling isn’t any better either as they failed to stop rampaging England from what was a complete massacre. After opting to bat first, the hosts hit 43 fours and bludgeoned 16 sixers leaving the likes of Wahab Riaz, regarded among the leading pacers in the world, with humiliating figures of 0-110 in ten overs. Wahab finished just three runs shy of the worst bowling show ever — by the little-known Australian Michael Lewis (113-0) against South Africa in Johannesburg back in 2006. Other bowlers didn’t fare any better with Mohammad Amir going for 72 runs and Hasan Ali, the pick of Pakistan’s attack, finishing with 2-74. Such merciless were the England batters that Azhar Ali was forced to take Yasir Shah off the attack after he was milked for 48 from six overs.

Pakistan, in reply, were bowled out for 275 in 42.4 overs with paceman Chris Woakes the chief destroyer, taking four for 41.

Opener Sharjeel Khan hit 58 but wickets fell at regular intervals until Mohammad Amir smashed 58 in 28 balls to share an unlikely last-wicket stand of 76 with Yasir Shah (26 not out).

Amir’s half-century was the first by a number 11 in ODIs.

Score Board

England won toss

England

J J Roy c Sarfraz b Hasan 15

A D Hales lbw b Hasan 171

J E Root c Sarfraz b Nawaz 85

†J C Buttler not out 90

*E J G Morgan not out 57

Extras (b 6, lb 8, w 3, nb 9) 26

Total (3 wickets; 50 overs) 444

Did not bat: B A Stokes, M M Ali, C R Woakes, A U Rashid, L E Plunkett, M A Wood