England unchanged as Pakistan opt to bat first in third ODI

The injury news comes as a setback to Pakistan’s hopes given how Yasir’s seven for 143 proved decisive in the third Test on the newly laid track at Sharjah earlier this month.

Pakistan were made to pay for a terrible batting collapse as England claimed victory by six wickets in Sharjah to move 2-1 up in the four-match one-day worldwide series.

England lost the first match by six wickets in Abu Dhabi, but won the second at the same venue by 95 runs on Friday.

Contributing 45 runs for Pakistan Mohammad hafeez was the leading Scorer while, Wahab riaz also boosted up the scorecard of Pakistani team by scoring 33 runs with three sixes. Jos at the other end played an exceptional role.

“We’ve spoken about when you get in you have to kick on, get through those first 20 balls, and they did that and they set the platform perfectly”.

Batting fluently in partnership with the more dogged Buttler, he passed 40 for the sixth time in his last eight ODI innings. After that, they condition deteoriated in the second ODI as they lost wickets at regular intervals and managed to score 8o runs with losing 6 wickets. Undecided whether to the pull or leave, he top edged a slow, short delivery from Willey to be caught by Joe Root at the square-leg fence.

“Three run outs and a few iffy shots from Pakistan”.

Zafar Gohar (15) and Mohammad Irfan (0) while David Willey, Reece Topley and Moeen Ali bagged one wicket each. This is the third run out of the innings and Pakistan have only themselves to blame.

Irfan was warned twice in the seventh over for running on the pitch which sent ripples across the Pakistan camp.

Alex Hales hit 30 in a 60-run third-wicket partnership with captain Eoin Morgan before Gohar forced him to edge to Mohammad Rizwan at slip.

ESCAPE: Hales survives a caught-and-bowled chance from Irfan. Malik (1-56) had Morgan castled in the next over as England were in trouble at 93 for four.

Buttler had one telling early moment of fortune, when he yorked himself against Shoaib on nought and Sarfraz Ahmed missed the stumping.

But England’s middle order knuckled down to take the sting out of the Pakistan attack.

He brought his fifty in 51 deliveries with another maximum down the ground and England looked comfortable needing just 29 to win in 14 overs. Chasing paltry 209, England reached the target in 41st over.

With that win England have gone up 2-1 in the four match series and have secured a position in the series such that they cannot lose the series now.