England survive Hasan Ali all-round exploits to win Lord’s ODI vs Pakistan and clinch series

The bench strength of the England cricket team came to the fore yet again. For a team that had to pick a new side due to the coronavirus situation, the performance by the team led by Ben Stokes is indeed remarkable. England survived an all-round onslaught by Hasan Ali. He took 5/51 in a rain-reduced match of 47 overs at Lord’s. Hasan kept Pakistan in the game with a belligerent 31 off 17 balls. But, it went all in vain as England held their nerve to win by 52 runs and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Hasan’s efforts were remarkable but yet again, Pakistan’s top order crumbled when they had to deliver. After the match was delayed by two hours, Pakistan chose to bowl in a rain-impacted match. Phillip Salt got going with two boundaries in the first over but Hasan struck by removing Dawid Malan for 0. Shaheen Afridi, clocking speeds in excess of 140 kmph, dismissed Zak Crawley first ball.

Vince, Salt revive England

Salt and James Vince were not deterred by the lose of quick wickets and they scored at an aggressive rate. Vince thumped two fours off Hasan while Salt pounded Faheem Ashraf for four boundaries in one over. Vince and Salt continued the revival as they found the boundaries on a regular basis. Pakistan did not help themselves with some inconsistent lines and lengths.

Vince and Salt both notched up their fifties in the same over bowled by Haris Rauf. However, the introduction of the spinners slowed things down. Saud Shakeel sent back Salt for 60 to break the 97-run stand. But, Stokes looked to continue the onslaught and he showed his intentions. However, Shadab Khan got the well-set Vince for 56 and Pakistan looked to stage a fightback.

Stokes and John Simpson looked to stitch a good stand but Hasan came back and dismissed Stokes for the fifth time in his career. Hasan was in fine form and in the 28^th over, he sent back Simpson and Craig Overton quickly. However, Brydon Carse and Lewis Gregory steadied the ship with a crucial 69-run stand.

Pakistan fight at the end but stumble with the bat

Carse and Gregory mixed caution with aggression as they took England past 200. Both batsmen pounced on the loose ball as they looked to reach a score near 250. However, Haris Rauf sent back both Carse and Gregory in the space of two overs. Hasan ended with a five-wicket haul as he sent back Saqib Mahmood but England had reached 247.

In response, Pakistan’s batting crumbled just like they had in Cardiff. Imam ul Haq was dismissed cheaply by Lewis Gregory while Craig Overton bowled Fakhar Zaman. The key moment was when Mahmood sent back Babar Azam for 19 with a superb delivery. Mohammad Rizwan and Sohaib Maqsood also failed to contribute significantly. Saud Shakeel kept Pakistan afloat but he was running out of partners. At 118/7, it looked to be game over.

But, Hasan was not finished. He hit three sixes in one over bowled by Matthew Parkinson as he leaked 22 runs. However, Carse ended the fun when Hasan top-edged a pull shot to fine leg. Shakeel’s solidity was rewarded with a fifty but it was an uphill task. However, when Shakeel fell, Pakistan folded quickly and Stokes had achieved a series win in his 100^th ODI. That he achieved it with a fringe squad speaks volumes of England’s depth.

After the match, Stokes said, “The pleasing thing is that even the inexperienced men are taking the attacking option and that speaks volumes of the culture we’ve created over the last four or five years. We got early wickets with the ball and that always helps in defending scores. We were confident of our batting depth, Lewis and Carse are capable batters, they did really well.”