England win toss against Pakistan and elect to bat

The second of four one-day internationals between Pakistan and England will be played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

Hales struck 109 off 117 balls to ensure England could post 283 for five, a total that was 95 runs too many for Pakistan to leave the series locked at 1-1 heading into Tuesday’s third match in Sharjah.

England got off to a confident start on a pitch used for the second match in a row, as Roy and Hales lifted the tempo after the first ten overs.

The veteran batsman picked Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan as the two youngsters in the team who could replace him and be better than him.

“We stressed over not getting complacent and although we restricted them as they were in sight of 330 plus we then did not bat as per the plans”. Pakistan almost had Hales when they appealed for a caught behind off a pull against Riaz, and the umpire took a long time before raising his finger.

Willey returned to help finish the game and end with a creditable 3-25 as England won with 4.1 overs to spare.

Skipper Eoin Morgan top-scored with 76 while James Taylor made 60 as the pair added 133 for the fourth wicket as the only highlight of the innings.

After Root, dropped on 30 at point reverse-sweeping, required 49 deliveries to reach the boundary during an excellently-crafted 60-ball fifty, England failed to kick on as the right-hander became the first of three wickets to fall during the last 10 overs when Wahab and Irfan started to show their skills.

65 – Runs collected by Anwar Ali and Sarfaraz for the 7th wicket – which is 2nd best 7th wicket partnership for Pakistan against England in ODIs.

Morgan blamed his batsmen for the defeat.

“We understand there’s a lot of development to go on… and a lot of learning to do”. It would be cruel to criticise the bowlers with only 220 on the board. “But I am happy that I have been able to play a central role in many of Pakistan’s victories”, the former captain said.

Farbrace said that they have got very capable players who know how to win the matches even though they are in learning process and they know how to tackle the pressure situations. “I consulted with my close friends and family members before taking this decision”, Younis said in a statement.

“But I will be 38 in five or six days’ time, so this is the right time to quit one-day cricket”.

The national selectors had, in a surprise move, recalled Younis for the four-match ODI series against England after ignoring him for this format since the World Cup early this year in Australia and New Zealand.