17:47
WICKET! Salt c Fahar Zaman b Haris Rauf 37 (England 53-2)
Salt pulls confidently but uppishly and is caught at midwicket, a straightforward end to a terrific knock.
17:46
7th over: England 53-1 (Salt 37, Crawley 12) Target 332 Shaheen Afridi is thanked perhaps an over too late.
17:44
6th over: England 53-1 (Salt 37, Crawley 12) Target 332 Oh dear me. Salt bunts into the off side and a dreadful misfield sends the crowd into raptures; they run one, and though Salt wants another, Crawley sends him back. Three dots follow, then Crawley chips over mid on for a brace, and the batsmen are in total command; I wonder which will drive airily to mid off in the next 10 minutes.
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17:41
5th over: England 49-1 (Salt 36, Crawley 9) Target 332 Babar has work to do here, though he could do with some help from his bowlers, and Shaheen concedes just one from his first four deliveries, a single to Crawley. But then a short one on the hip – on Salt’s hip – is hauled around the corner for four more! I’m surprised the ball was bowled there – I think it was deliberate, not a mistake – and Salt is absolutely loving this, hollering up his runs. A two and a one follow, and England are all over this.
17:36
4th over: England 42-1 (Salt 30, Crawley 8) Target 332 Two dots, then Salt looks for a single and retreats, so Saud hurls at the non-striker’s though Crawley is back, and is duly punished with four buzzers! England do not need help of that ilk, and as I type that, Salt unloads the suitcase at a wide one, top-edging four over third man, then edges towards the same area where a fumble is greeted with derision and delirium – derisium – and what a start this is from England IIs.
17:31
3rd over: England 32-1 (Salt 20, Crawley 8) Target 332 Crawley drives down the ground for two, and what a boon this situation is for him – he badly needs runs to keep his Test place and there’s no four-day stuff, so the opportunity to score for England must be very welcome. And here he is, driving superbly down the ground for four! Like Root and Pope, he’s a beautiful strokemaker until he gets out for fewer than he should, and two more follow when a dab to third man allows the batsmen to sprint there and back.
17:27
2nd over: England 24-1 (Salt 20, Crawley 0) Target 332 Gosh, Ultra Edge doesn’t think Malan got anything on that, but he walked and didn’t review. That is going to sting, hard. But back in the middle and after a leg bye, Salt hurls hands at a wide one to earn four through point, and he is motoring.
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17:24
WICKET! Malan c Mohammad Rizwan b Hasan Ali 0 (England 19-1)
This is an excellent delivery, swinging in and pitching full, on leg, then slanting across Malan. Off the back of a duck in the last match, he fences, and is caught behind! It’s odd to say this in just the second over, but Pakistan needed that.
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17:23
2nd over: England 19-0 (Salt 16, Malan 0) Target 332 Eeesh! Hasan Ali opens with a hat-trick … of wides, two down leg side and one harsh one down off. As you might imagine, the crowd are full of sympathy for the bowler.
17:20
1st over: England 16-0 (Salt 16, Malan 0) Target 332 Babar Azam, though. Meantime, Salt misses out on a first-ball full toss, picking out cover, but the second, a floaty yorker, ends up in the slot and he opens the face to hammer four through point. And have a look! Salt carts a decent delivery over mid off, then gets forward to time four down the ground to long off, then dematerialises four uppishly through the covers! Sixteen off the over – I hope his dressing room nickname is Perry!
17:15
The players are back with us, Shaheeh Shah Afridi with the ball.
17:15
Oh go on then, you’ve twisted my arm. Not many better combinations of music and drama, though feel free to advise me to the contrary. .
17:07
We play sport to see what’ll happen, and rarely have I had as little idea as I do now. In normal circumstances, I’d be heavily favouring England because just over a run a ball ain’t no thing for them. But I’ve not a clue how this line-up will chase this total, which makes this a fascinating match.
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16:58
We’re remembering Bob Willis today, so here’s a piece on him (with guest appearances from the other Bob).
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16:55
Thanks Tim and good afternoon everyone. I guess Pakistan’s innings looked a bit like you’d expect it to look, were England missing 10 of their first XI (but for the fact that the worst figures were delivered by its only remaining member). On the one hand, that speaks volumes for how well they played in the first two matches, but on the other, shows what
Babar Azam can do. He’s an absolute joke.
a flat track and a bit of acclimatisation
16:52
Pakistan finish on 331! England need 332 to complete a 3-0 series win!
50th over: Pakistan 331-9 (Shakeel 3, Haris Rauf 0) And that is that, with England getting a flurry of consolation prizes, but Pakistan making off with the laurels. Babar Azam made a majestic 158, and all Stokes’s Makeshift XI could do was show some spirit, which resulted in a nice little five-wicket haul for Brydon Carse, all of them at the death.
England now need to mount a huge chase, something they have done before against Pakistan, though not with a bunch of plucky understudies. It’ll be a stiff test of mettle – which they certainly have – and shot-making invention, which some of them have. Come on Zak Crawley, come on James Vince: this is the moment to turn one of those stylish 50s into something monumental.
And that’s me done. Thanks for your company and correspondence, and Daniel will be with you shortly to see whether England’s batsmen can rise to the challenge on a pitch with plenty of runs in it.
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16:43
Wicket! Shaheen Shah Afridi c Vince b Carse 0 (Pakistan 329-9)
Yet another one! Carse digs it in and Shakeel can only dig it out to mid-on, where Vince takes a simple catch. And Brydon Carse has a nice cheap five-for!
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16:41
Wicket!! BABAR c Malan b Carse 158 (Pakistan 328-8)
Got him in the end! Wickets are suddenly tumbling and not even Babar is immune. He holes out and departs to the standing ovation he deserves, after an innings that went from watchful to explosive the minute he passed fifty.
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16:40
49th over: Pakistan 324-7 (Babar Azam 154) Hasan’s role was enthusiastically taken up by Ashraf, who could see from the field setting that Saqib was planning to drop short. He pulled for six and top-edged for four, but then Saqib pitched one up and that was that. Saqib adds another wicket to finish with three for 60, and nine wickets in the series.
16:38
Wicket! Shadab c Simpson b Saqib 0 (Pakistan 324-7)
Two in two! But still not Babar.
16:37
Wicket! Faheem Ashraf b Saqib 10 (Pakistan 324-6)
Saqib’s slower ball does for Ashraf – but he hit 10 off four balls, so the momentum is still there. And so is Babar.
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16:33
48th over: Pakistan 312-5 (Babar Azam 153, Faheem Ashraf 0) Hasan Ali was promoted to throw the bat and he succeeded, getting two top edges – one flying away for four, the other bringing his downfall. But England haven’t got the wicket they want, that of Babar, who now has the highest score by a Pakistani in ODIs against England.
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16:31
Wicket! Hasan Ali c Crawley b Carse 4 (Pakistan 309-5)
Another one! Again it’s the short ball, again it’s the pull, only this time it’s more of a skyer, well held at midwicket.
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16:29
Wicket! Shoaib Maqsood c Vince b Carse 8 (Pakistan 305-4)
The short stuff sees off Maqsood, who holes out to midwicket. Not so much a breakthrough, more of a consolation prize.
16:26
47th over: Pakistan 304-3 (Babar Azam 149, Sohaib Maqsood 8) Back comes Saqib for the death, bowling full and wide at Babar, then short and straight at Maqsood – who misses one bouncer, but pulls another for four. The carnage continues.
16:21
46th over: Pakistan 296-2 (Babar Azam 146, Sohaib Maqsood 4) In comes Sohaib Maqsood and he gets four off his first ball, albeit via the outside edge. Well bowled Brydon Carse.
16:19
Wicket!! Mohammad Rizwan c Simpson b Carse 74 (Pakistan 292-3)
At last! Rizwan gloves a bouncer and England know it’s out, so, after a pause for thought, he walks. That’s the end of a sparkling innings and a spectacular partnership of 179 off just 20 overs.
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16:14
45th over: Pakistan 284-2 (Babar Azam 139, Mohammad Rizwan 72) Overton deceives Babar, luring him into a top-edged pull, but it’s such a bad shot that it doesn’t carry to mid-on. By the end of the over, Babar has found his touch again, playing a proper pull for four. With 139, he now has the highest score of a glittering one-day career. Poor old Overton finishes with figures of 10-0-64-0, despite delivering a very tidy opening spell. It’s as if this England are bowling at the team they’re standing in for.
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16:10
44th over: Pakistan 271-2 (Babar Azam 133, Mohammad Rizwan 66) Babar, stung by that quip about Baba O’Riley, is dropped at midwicket off Parkinson. He swept, hard, and Brydon Carse did well not to be seriously injured. The partnership sails on to 152 off 110 balls. Babar celebrates by ambling down the track and hitting a straight six. The next ball is a good one, a googly that nearly takes out the off stump as Babar plays an injudicious cut, but he gets away with it. Thirteen off the over, so Parkinson now has 1-70 off nine. He’s bowled better than that would suggest.
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16:06
43rd over: Pakistan 259-2 (Babar Azam 126, Mohammad Rizwan 61) It’s still Overton, trying some slower balls. One ball is too short, so Babar dispatches it for four. Another is too leg-side, so it’s a wide, the seventh of the innings. Eleven off the over: it just feels as if there’s a tap on, with runs flowing out of it.
“Babar Azam’s not bad,” says Andrew Benton, “but Baba O’Riley’s better.” Ha. We need to know if Bob Willis liked The Who as well as Dylan.
16:02
42nd over: Pakistan 248-2 (Babar Azam 120, Mohammad Rizwan 57) Stokes has asked himself what would Eoin do, and the answer is “Bring back the leggie”. It’s worth a try, but maybe even Adil Rashid would struggle in this situation. Parkinson goes for two twos, then three singles, and finally a four, as Babar seizes on a semi-short ball and cuts hard past extra-cover. He’s been immense since he reached fifty.
15:59
41st over: Pakistan 237-2 (Babar Azam 115, Mohammad Rizwan 51) Stokes’s inclination to attack has evaporated, which is understandable but perhaps unwise. Even with the field spread far and wide, these two are finding the gaps. Rizwan flicks Overton round the corner for four to reach an excellent fifty off 42 balls. He hasn’t played second fiddle: he’s played rhythm guitar, setting the tempo and galvanising the lead guitarist.
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15:55
40th over: Pakistan 227-2 (Babar Azam 113, Mohammad Rizwan 46) Saqib, given a third over in a row and an eighth in all, is pulled for four by Rizwan. He fights back well, beating him outside the off stump. These England stand-ins have plenty of spirit, but their skills are being tested by this flat pitch and Babar’s mastery. He sees a bouncer early and pulls it for four, dismissively.
15:50
39th over: Pakistan 215-2 (Babar Azam 106, Mohammad Rizwan 41) Craig Overton comes back, replacing Carse. Rizwan takes a quick two and hurts himself diving for the crease as his helmet clonks him on the nose. Babar dabs for a couple, an elegant way to bring up the hundred partnership off only 12.4 overs. It’s been so much more purposeful than the partnership of 92 that preceded it.
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15:44
38th over: Pakistan 208-2 (Babar Azam 103, Mohammad Rizwan 37) Mahmood is still running in hard, but Babar’s eye is in, the sun is out, and the magic has gone. I’m beginning to see why Stokes delayed Saqib’s return.
And we have an answer to the baseball question (15:25). “Yes it is the luxury of having a glove to catch a larger, lighter, softer ball!” says Ross Dawson. “Hardly a marginal difference.”
15:40
Hundred for Babar Azam!
Babar cuts Saqib for four and that’s his century, his 14th in 83 ODIs. It took him 15 balls to make his first run, and he was sluggish all the way to fifty – but he’s been a cheetah ever since. His second fifty has come off only 32 balls.
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15:39
37th over: Pakistan 200-2 (Babar Azam 97, Mohammad Rizwan 35) With Parkinson off, Saqib is teamed with Carse, which perhaps isn’t the best combination – they’re much the same pace. Carse is hitting the pitch hard but Rizwan is onto him, pulling for four. Babar sees that and plays the same shot, with a touch of majesty, and then runs it down to third man to bring up the 200. The first 100 took 143 balls, the second one only 89.
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15:36
36th over: Pakistan 190-2 (Babar Azam 92, Mohammad Rizwan 30) And here is Saqib, who can bowl five of the last 15 overs. Babar faced 14 balls from him earlier and didn’t score a single run, but his eye is in now and after one dot, he cuts for two, then flicks for two more as Saqib over-compensates. Seven off the over, and no alarms: so much for my bowling change.
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15:31
35th over: Pakistan 183-2 (Babar Azam 87, Mohammad Rizwan 28) Stokes does do something: he takes Gregory off – but rather than Saqib, he brings back Brydon Carse. He nearly nabs Babar with a yorker that beats the bat and somehow misses off stump. With only four runs, that’s England’s best over for a while.
15:27
34th over: Pakistan 179-2 (Babar Azam 85, Mohammad Rizwan 26) Parkinson is still causing a problem about once an over. He draws Babar forward, luring him into a nick – but again there’s no slip, so it just dribbles away for a single. To reassert himself, Babar dances down the track and lofts an innocent delivery for six. Ten off the over: Stokes badly needs to make something happen.
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15:25
There’s a hold-up while Babar takes a comfort break, so here’s a tweet from Voice of the Mysterons. “Given the marginal differences between the specifications of a baseball and a cricket ball,” they say, “why doesn’t the fielding side in cricket ping the ball about in the same way as they do in baseball … or is it just the luxury of having the glove that allows them to do it?” That’s a good question, but well above my pay grade, so I’m going to throw it out to the floor.
15:22
33rd over: Pakistan 169-2 (Babar Azam 77, Mohammad Rizwan 24) Gregory is still on too, more surprisingly. He tries a slow bouncer and that’s fine by Babar, who swats it like a fly and sends it skimming to the midwicket boundary. And then Rizwan plus a handsome on-drive, too straight to be stopped at mid-on, so that’s four more. The partnership is already 56, off 45 balls, and that’s drinks with Pakistan on top. Stokes needs to ask himself one question: what would Eoin do? Bring back Saqib, surely.
15:18
32nd over: Pakistan 159-2 (Babar Azam 72, Mohammad Rizwan 19) Parkinson is still on and he nearly defeats Rizwan, groping at a googly – in fact UltraEdge shows there was a nick, so that’s dropped by John Simpson, tough as it was. Pakistan still get five off the over, and they are eyeing 300 now.
15:14
31st over: Pakistan 154-2 (Babar Azam 69, Mohammad Rizwan 17) Gregory is not quick, and the ball is no longer swinging, so he’s bowling slower balls and even slower balls. It doesn’t stop Babar chipping for three or picking up the singles. He has 22 off his last 15 balls, a sharp contrast from the 47 he managed from his first 68.
15:10
30th over: Pakistan 147-2 (Babar Azam 64, Mohammad Rizwan 15) Babar’s enjoying himself now, going inside-out to chip Parkinson over mid-off. After inching to 76 off the first 20 overs, Pakistan have added 71 off the last ten.
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15:07
29th over: Pakistan 140-2 (Babar Azam 58, Mohammad Rizwan 14) Stokes gets the message and removes himself from the attack, but it’s not the main man, Saqib – it’s his sidekick, Lewis Gregory. Babar takes this as a hint that he should change gear, spotting a slower ball and pulling for six off the front foot. That’s more like it. The loss of Imam has actually helped Pakistan, who have added 27 in three overs since Rizwan came in.
15:02
28th over: Pakistan 131-2 (Babar Azam 50, Mohammad Rizwan 13) Rizwan sweeps Parkinson for four, and then Babar gets that fifty with a suitably sober shot, a push into the on side. It’ has come off 72 balls with only five fours. It’s his 31st fifty in ODIs and 13 of those have turned into hundreds, as this one may if he gets a move on.
14:58
27th over: Pakistan 122-2 (Babar Azam 49, Mohammad Rizwan 6) Stokes isn’t taking himself off yet. Rizwan gets off the mark with a single as a crisp push is misfielded by Saqib, finally blotting his copybook, at mid-off. And then Stokes drops short yet again and Rizwan pulls for four. Another short ball is deemed a wide on height, much to Stokes’s chagrin, though to be fair it could have been a wide on width. Rizwan is rocking already, and Babar would have his fifty if it were not for a fine stop by Phil Salt at backward point. Stokes surely needs to try someone else, preferably Saqib.
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14:54
26th over: Pakistan 113-2 (Babar Azam 46, Mohammad Rizwan 0) Stokes gives Parkinson his reward – a slip and two short extras for Rizwan, who’s a good player but surely too high at No.4. He plays a dogged forward defence, and that’s the end of a very good over, a career highlight for Matt Parkinson.
14:51
Wicket! Imam-ul-Haq b Parkinson 56 (Pakistan 113-2)
The breakthrough! And it’s a peach of a ball from Matt Parkinson, pitching outside off, turning a yard and going through the gate. England needed that, and so did the game.
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14:49
25th over: Pakistan 111-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 55, Babar Azam 46) Stokes keeps himself on – and if he had a slip, which he probably would for any other seamer, Imam would be out. Instead a thick nick flies away for four. Before that, Imam played a guide to third man to bring up his fifty off 66 balls with seven fours. He had a slice of luck early on, with an LBW that was neither given nor reviewed, but he’s been quietly impressive ever since. And that’s the halfway stage, with Pakistan building an innings, 1980s-style. Stokes, who now has 3-0-22-0, may have to back himself with a slip, or sack himself and send for Saqib.
14:43
24th over: Pakistan 103-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 49, Babar Azam 43) After treating Parkinson with respect in his first over, the batsmen tuck in now. Babar lofts him over mid-off, where Stokes seems to slip but probably wouldn’t have plucked it out of the air anyway, and then Imam cuts for three to bring up the hundred. Which starts next week, by the way.
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