England batsmen showed incredible tenacity against Pakistan bowlers to set an achievable target; Jos Buttler led by example with an outstanding 84 score.
Reece Topley took the final wicket to seal an impressive victory for England. Jofra Archer and Moeen Ali also contributed immensely with the ball. In this article, we will discuss the main point of England Cricket Team Vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard.
Batting
England BATTING
Jos Buttler led England to 357-5 against Pakistan, his exceptional innings helping set them on course towards reaching a competitive total. Buttler’s lightning-fast hands, superior power and innovative creativity delighted an enthusiastic Edgbaston audience basking in sunshine.
Buttler opened for England with great promise, striking a half volley from Naseem Shah through the covers for four, before playing another fine shot to add another boundary off spinner Naseem Shah. Buttler shared an unbroken partnership of 71 runs with Will Jacks and 48 with Jonny Bairstow while at the crease.
After an initially slow start, England batsmen quickly settled in and took flight. Jos Buttler particularly excelled by hitting three sixes and four fours off leg-spinner Shaheen Rauf’s delivery while his fourth was an elegant scoop over an expansive stretch of grass.
Although England had difficulty in their bid for the 50-over World Cup last year, Buttler’s form bodes well for England’s chances in retaining it at this tournament. His skillful footwork and stunning strokeplay enabled him to score an unbeaten 147 from 85 balls against the Dutch – he stands a strong chance at becoming this tournament’s Golden Boot winner.
Azam Khan’s misfield at deep square leg off Shaheen Rauf jolted the pair briefly, but Buttler and Jacks steadied themselves, adding 48 with Jacks before his dismissal off Mohammad Amir. Buttler then drove a short ball from Imad Wasim straight to long on, where Jofra Archer joined him batting at long on. Archer hit four fours off the opening over of this over, followed by reverse sweep for one on ball two of this over from Jofra that hit fours off first two balls from Imad Wasim that Liam Livingstone caught. Pakistan required 287 more runs to qualify for semi-final qualification; England cruised over victory with just singles off these final two overs from Pakistan batted well overs from England!
Bowling
England’s batsmen are making full use of a pitch that could present spinners with difficulty, while Pakistan bowlers seem incapable of keeping wickets intact; England batters have already scored six runs off three overs by way of big hitting against Pakistan bowlers.
Pakistan openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan responded well to England’s initial pressure with some powerful hitting. But Archer’s delivery that saw Babar caught at short third, cutting their total from 59-0 to 82-5, brought their resistance to an end.
Jofra Archer made an immediate impact upon returning from international retirement last June 2016 by striking early with swing and taking two wickets in his opening over to further reduce Pakistan’s chances of recovery. His second over was even better, featuring an excellent leg-break swept by Will Jacks for four boundaries before hitting out at full toss to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler at long-on.
Buttler then removed Imad Wasim and Mohammad Naseem with accurate catches off straight balls from Liam Livingstone before the England batsmen started going for it with some boundary-rich shots – including Haris Rauf hitting six over the covers, Moeen Ali performing an exquisite reverse sweep, Afridi being caught leg before by Reece Topley during his next over.
Jos Buttler’s late charge propelled England past their target with seven overs remaining, in an impressive performance that was complemented by some exceptional spin bowling from their hosts, providing valuable practice ahead of Buttler’s World Cup debut two weeks away. Unfortunately for England though, this will now be four-match series where all matches must be won to avoid another humiliating whitewash; winning two sets puts them firmly in control and gives confidence going into Tuesday’s opening match against Scotland in the Caribbean.
Fielding
England looked set for an easy victory against Pakistan until Shaheen Afridi caused havoc among their top order. Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow managed to hold on, sharing an 82 run partnership which helped secure a crucial win and ensure progress to the quarter-finals as well as increase chances for qualifying for Champions Trophy tournament.
Starting off well, Pakistan bowled well; however, they soon started losing wickets at regular intervals. Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim put up an admirable performance but were ultimately powerless to stop England batsmen from scoring big scores – in turn helping set up another high-scoring contest with India in their next fixture. England were eventually victorious and set themselves up for another close clash.
One incident, however, marred the entire match and caused significant outrage from fans: A video uploaded onto social media showing Pakistan cricketers practising age-old dive techniques during a training session led to widespread condemnation worldwide of their performance by both fans and commentators alike. Although their cricket board issued an apology following this video’s uploading onto social media, this did not help their case as players from both countries were widely criticised and judged upon.
Reece Topley began England’s innings by bowling its inaugural over, dismissing Shafique off his fourth ball and going three overs without conceding a run. A short delivery to Shaheen Afridi on leg side failed to go over midwicket; Topley then lofted one towards deep mid-wicket where Phil Salt chased it and caught it in his hands – dismissal achieved without conceding any runs!
WICKET! Chris Woakes enters the fray for one last over. Haris Rauf and Wasim are at the crease, and Chris Woakes unleashes two fours and one six in three deliveries; Rauf hits another six at Rauf but is caught by Samit Patel before hitting one last slam to end Pakistan’s innings at 244 all out in 43.3 overs.
Pakistan needs to win to improve their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals, while England requires victory to qualify for Champions Trophy tournament. Both sides should use this matchup as an opportunity to prepare themselves for future competition.
Scoring
Jos Buttler and Phil Salt led England’s charge in an impressive one-sided victory against Pakistan that will enhance their World Cup preparations. Jofra Archer made his comeback to international cricket, taking two wickets while England bowlers kept runs to an absolute minimum; their bowlers bowled superbly as Jofra Archer took two scalps; England bowlers performed admirably while holding some excellent catches as confidence-boosting performance from this England squad was enjoyed by all.
Pakistan made an inauspicious start to their innings with Saim Ayub being dismissed for three balls without scoring and their top order struggling against England’s spinners, saving Buttler from complete collapse by his return.
Buttler’s 84-ball innings was packed with big hits that England desperately need from him, while Jacks looked stronger and more mature than ever in an England shirt. Both players benefitted greatly from IPL season – an indication that their current struggles won’t compromise future performances.
England quickly achieved their target, reaching it in 15 overs with four overs remaining thanks to Moeen Ali’s late flourish. While there was initially some trouble at middle order level, this soon resolved itself and England reached their goal with just four overs left on the clock.
The match was interrupted by protests from a small group of Pakistani fans who threw plastic bottles into the crowd, leading to a delay of play of approximately 20 minutes as security personnel removed any offending objects from play.
ENG v PAK LIVE: Topley delivers another short slanting delivery into Shaheen Afridi on middle and leg, targeting his left-hander with middle and leg strikes. Afridi attempts to hit it over midwicket but miscues its line and skies it towards cow corner where Salt takes yet another running catch of the afternoon.
England have set themselves an ambitious target to qualify for the semi-finals, yet are well on their way. Today’s game must be won with an overwhelming score and margin to have any chance at making the final. After two matches they lead with 2-0 and are expected to advance.
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