21st over: England 108-4 (Duckett 53, Curran 35)Duckett brings up his 50 with a bunt down the ground. He’s helped dig his team out of a deep hole here but has plenty of work left to do. Curran adds another single with a cut down to deep point before Duckett sweeps for two and then drives down the ground for one. They’re rotating the strike well. Curran keeps the strike with another single off the last ball.
20th over: England 102-4 (Duckett 49, Curran 33)Leg spin now as Shadab Khan finally enters from stage right. He’s not looping or ripping it, but the change of angle and direction of turn at least gives the batters something else to consider. Ducket brings up the 50-run stand with a reverse sweep down to the fielder at deep backward point.
19th over: England 98-4 (Duckett 48, Curran 30)Salman isn’t exactly threatening, but he’s keeping things tidy. Is that enough for Shaheen after the blistering start for Pakistan? Both batters look comfortable knocking about singles as their partnership reaches 45.
18th over: England 95-5 (Duckett 47, Curran 29)Curran
18th over: England 95-5 (Duckett 47, Curran 29)Curran rocks back and nails a pull shot to Razaullah’s half-tracker for four, getting it well in front of square. Rather than correct his length and go fuller, he drops it even shorter, giving away a wide over Duckett’s head. That’s the exuberance of youth – he is only 21. When he shows more control, hitting a good length, he looks more menacing.
17th over: England 89-4 (Duckett 47, Curran 23)We’re fully in the middle overs period of this ODI now. Good from Salman, just the right pace and flight and drift to keep the batters honest. Three singles across the set. Pakistan won’t mind that.
16th over: England 86-4 (Duckett 46, Curran 21)Razaullah returns and is steaming in, banging away at a good length, angling it into the left-handers as he attempts to cramp them up. He does well, keeping Curran to just one single and Duckett scoreless.
Really interested to see how Curran goes now
Really interested to see how Curran goes now. This is a perfect opportunity to dig in and register a score that secures his place in the team for an extended run. What an opportunity for him.
15th over: England 85-4 (Duckett 46, Curran 20)Salman on and he’s immediately tidier than Saim who was missing his length on the shorter side. Salman is tossing it up and inviting the England batters to press forward. Just the three singles from that set.
14th over: England 82-4 (Duckett 44, Curran 19)Rauf cuts Duckett in half with one that jags back in on the angle from a good length. A whisker away from both the inside edge and the top of off. Duckett is up for the challenge, though, as he smokes one through midwicket for four. That came down at 89mph but must have left the bat at twice that speed from rolled wrists in front of square.
13th over: England 78-4 (Duckett 40, Curran 19)Time
13th over: England 78-4 (Duckett 40, Curran 19)Time for a drink as England’s batters get a chance to gather themselves for the next shift. This over from Saim is closed off with a four for Curran who leans back and cracks a half cut, half punch well in front of square and finds a big gap at deep extra cover. Saim has now bowled two drag downs in each of his overs and has been punished.
12th over: England 71-4 (Duckett 38, Curran 14)Rauf continues and there’s the first mistake from Pakistan as the fielder at backward point makes a mess of a routine stop, allowing Curran to gather one. Otherwise it’s a tidy set from the right-armer who is round the wicket into the left-handed batters. Duckett keeps the strike with a tickle down to fine leg.
Here’s what reader Guy Hornsbymakes of it all:
Well this is a good one to get up for, Daniel! Root and Banton out hitting it out of the middle of the bat but Brook’s second was never on, and Cox just seemed to gently guide it to slip. I guess Sam Curran won’t have a better chance to redeem himself after the Sri Lanka game than now. It feels we’re into the ‘just go harder’ phase of the game. This could be 280 or 140 all out. Amazing how good Pakistan are with all their quicks… If only they were allowed play in the Test team!
11th over: England 67-4 (Duckett 36, Curran 13)Spin now as Saim joins the party. What a perfect time for the spinner to come on. His seamers have provided the perfect platform but the English batters won’t want to let him settle. Curran spots that mid-on is up and heaves one up and over him for four. He didn’t get all of it, but there was enough welly on it. Saim over corrects and drags down a long-hop that Curran smears off the back foot through cow corner for another four. Curran, who is only batting in the powerplay of an ODI for the third time in his career, bunts a single to get off steike before Duckett caresses one of his own to the sweeper on the off side. Productive from the English.
10th over: England 56-4 (Duckett 34, Curran 4)That’s
10th over: England 56-4 (Duckett 34, Curran 4)That’s the end of the powerplay and it’s fair to say Pakistan have bossed it. Another tame wicket though, so England haven’t exactly helped themselves. What was Cox thinking there? Anyway, Curran looks good so far. One firm cut is well fielded before he climbs into a short ball and pulls it well for four on the leg side. Duckett the lone ranger right now. Pakistan have bowled and fielded well, no doubt, but England have been the architects of their own doom.
Easy as you like!That was literally catching practice for Babar Azam at slip. I mean literally. You know how fielding coaches will offer catching practice for their players before the start of play? That. Back of a length, too close to cut but with enough bounce that the steer from an angled bat was always going to be tricky, Cox meekly prods at it and says to Babar, ‘catch that if you can’. You bet he can, getting both hands to one around shoulder height to his right. England in a serious pickle now!
9th over: England 52-3 (Duckett 34, Cox 6)Shaheen continues and offers just a smidge of width to Duckett who needs no second invite to throw his hands at it. He doesn’t find the middle of the bat but there’s enough wood on the edge to see it fly down to deep third for four. Afridi then unfurls a slower ball but Duckett is wise to it as he steers a single behind square. Cox collects a single as well, dabbing one past the slip fielder to deep third.
Reader David Williams is not enjoying what he’s seeing:
Wonder which bowlers get dropped as an excuse this time. Should have stayed in bed despite the extra hour rather than watching this shambles.
Hope you treat yourself to a tasty breakfast to lighten your mood.
8th over: England 46-3 (Duckett 29, Cox 5)Change
8th over: England 46-3 (Duckett 29, Cox 5)Change of bowling as Rauf comes into the attack. He’s wicket to wicket to Cox who has to be watchful. Cox opens his account with a firm punch back down the ground which beats the diving Shaheen and mid-on and skips away to the rope. Lovely balance there. He’s back up the other end with a steer to deep third which brings Duckett on strike who squirts a full ball off the inside half of his bat down to fine leg worth three. Better running from the England batters.
7th over: England 38-3 (Duckett 26, Cox 0)Shaheen is finding extra lift off the surface. Duckett has to be watchful as he looks down on the surface as if its made of spitting snakes. But when he gets a juicy ball on his pads, Duckett flicks his wrists and collects four runs through square leg. The next ball is a drag down and Duckett swivels as he pulls with aplomb, rolling his wrists as he collects four more.
6th over: England 30-3 (Duckett 18, Cox 0)Just for a second Duckett’s heart was in his mouth as he hoiked a short ball from Razaullah down to fine leg. If the fielder was on the rope, as he should have been, it would have been a simple catch. Instead it sailed over his head for six. The bowler sends a death stare down to his mate. His mood sours as Duckett punches the next ball for four backward of point and then he scampers up the other end with a single. That brings new man Cox on strike who is watchful across an over worth 11 runs.
Replays show that Brook slipped as he turned
Replays show that Brook slipped as he turned at the non-striker’s end.Without it he might have made his ground. Still, that never looked like two to me.
The England captain has just run himself out!Why on earth did he come back for a second? A thick inside edge off Shaheen had the ball squirt down to fine leg, but it was pretty much straight to the debutant who got his throw away quickly after a swift one-handed pick-up. Brook ran the first one hard and then called Duckett back for the second. He was running towards the danger end but that was self destructive! If the throw and pick-up from the keeper were clean, as they both were, he was never making his ground. England in real trouble now.
5th over: England 19-3 (Duckett 7)
4th over: England 18-1 (Duckett 7, Brook 0)Good wheels from Razaullah who beats Ducket with genuine pace. But Duckett won’t go in his shell and throws his hands at some width as he gets it up and over the infield on the off side. Duckett then shows a bit more control as he pings a drive on the up in front of cover and adds two runs to his score.
3rd over: England 11-2 (Duckett 1, Brook 0)This
3rd over: England 11-2 (Duckett 1, Brook 0)This couldn’t be going better as far as Pakistan are concerned. Shaheen’s angle across the right-hander has done for Banton and now Root, who timed his cut shot well but couldn’t find a gap either side of Saim at backward point. Brook, the new man, lets an in-swinger go that wans’t too far away from nipping back onto his off stump. The skipper has a big job to do here.
Loose from Root!Oh my, that’s two in two for the Pakistan skipper. This was short and wide and begging to be hit. Root obliged but he thwacked it straight at Saim at backward point who made a sharp catch low down look routine. The ball before Root had flicked Shaheen through square leg for four but falls this time, admonishing himself as he leaves the scene. What a start for Pakistan!
2nd over: England 6-1 (Duckett 1, Root 1)Razaullah on ODI debut opens up from the other end. Right arm, bustling to the crease, quick arms whirring in a chaotic, slingy action, he’s seems plucked from central casting and I’m here for it! He finds a thick edge of Duckett’s wayward drive, but it flies down to deep third for one. Root gets off the mark before Duckett looks to carve a shorter ball over the infield, but hits nothing but air.
1st over: England 4-1 (Duckett 0, Root 0)What
1st over: England 4-1 (Duckett 0, Root 0)What a start for Pakistan. Shaheen was looking for swing and went full for most of the over, but it was the one just a touch shorter that saw to Banton as he went looking for a booming drive on the up. Root, in much earlier than he’d have liked, gets a full in-swinger than thwacks his pads, but it was always going down leg. Top work from the home team.
A wicket in the first over!It’s a tame dismissal. Having whipped a half volley for four through mdwicket two balls earlier, Banton was looking to drive through cover. But it stands up in the pitch just a touch and wasn’t quite full enough to simply throw his hands at it. In the end he scoops a simple catch to Arafat at short extra cover. Pakistan up and running thanks to their skipper’s 150th scalp in this format.
It will be the captain, Shaheen Afridi, all 6’ 6” of him, who will open up.
Banton will face the first ball.
The Pakistan players, in bright pink, are gathered on the side of the field, engaged in a team talk and ready to let rip at England.
England’s openers, in blue different hues of blue,
England’s openers, in blue different hues of blue, have bumped fists and are making their way to the middle. Can they get their team off to a decent start this time?
Mark Butcher is touching the surface now.
Looks a road. But what do I know? The last time England played here they failed to defend 352 against Australia.
Runs, runs and more runs is what I foresee on a fast and true deck.
Chris Woakes is on my screen speaking like a veteran pundit.
Good opportunity to share this from his co-author, our very own Ali Martin:
Two changes from their last game.
Pace bowler Razaullah makes his debut and Shadab
Pace bowler Razaullah makes his debut and Shadab Kahan returns to the side. Naseem Shah dislocated his finger in the warm up, though his skipper says he’ll be fine for the next match. Faheem Ashraf misses out today as well.
Pakistan:Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Saad Baig (wk), Salman Alo Agha, Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Razaullah, Haris Rauf.
A bowler was always going to get the axe and its Josh Tongue who misses out.
In comes Henry Crocombe to make his debut
In comes Henry Crocombe to make his debut. Inexplicably, Adil Rashid continues to warm the bench.
England:Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jordon Cox (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Gus Atkinson, Henry Crocombe.
Shaheen Afridi gets the coin flip go his way and wants to bowl.
He cites the ‘fresh’ surface as a reason for his decision, wanting to get a look at it before having a bat.
Anyone else seeing a red glass on the bottom right corner of their screen?
I promise I’m not at a pub!
Anyway, here comes the toss…
There’s been a late call up for Maaz
There’s been a late call up for Maaz Sadaqat to the Pakistan squad.He replaces the injured left-arm spinner Sufyan Moqeem.
Oh, worth also mentioning that Pakistan will wear pink today, taking a lead out of South Africa’s book as they change from their natural green to raise funds and awarness for breast cancer.
Reports are it’s nice and sunny in Lahore.Should be a belter of a day. Expect loads of runs.
While you settle in, why not catch up
While you settle in, why not catch up on some reading (Barney’s piece on Temba Bavuma is quite excellent)”:
For the past two days, I’ve not been able to get Harry Brook out of my mind.
What has been going through his head since he clobbered and caressed his way to the fastest double-century in ODI history, a staggering 202 from 116 balls, only to watch his bowlers fail to defend 430?
What’s the equivalent in another sport
What’s the equivalent in another sport? Scoring six goals in football only for your defence to concede seven in the second half? Hitting every fairway in golf, then four-putting every green?
Brook is back in action as England face Pakistan for the second time in this tri-series. Pakistan won the teams’ previous meeting by 87 runs, with Brook making five as England’s batters folded against Arafat Minhas’ six-for; bowled out for 215.
A win would send Pakistan into the final with a game to spare, and they have the chance to do it at their Lahore HQ. For England, a third straight defeat in this format, less than a year before the World Cup, would deepen the questions. They need to put together a complete performance.
Will they do it? We’ll find out when things get going at 8am UK time.
Got your coffee and toast? Let’s get stuck in!
Source: www.theguardian.com
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