Statistics
Best performances - Batsmen
- Productive Shot
- off side drive on front foot
- 36 runs
- 4x4 - 1x6
Scorer: Gopi Rangarajan | Commentator: Alex Winter
How do England spell victory? In this case E-M-P-H-A-T-I-C. A nine-wicket win puts the the tourists 3-0 up with one to play and secures a first series victory in Asian conditions since Sri Lanka in 2007 - and only England's third since 1987. And this performance, having lost the toss, has been the most impressive so far by Alastair Cook's men.
Right from the moment he lasered his third ball to the square boundary, Pietersen looked in the groove today. He was brutally dismissive all round the wicket to reach his first ton since Cuttack in 2008 - a day he also scored 111 not out. Cook, Finn and Stuart Broad can also feel pretty pleased with their performances, while Pakistan will rue another top-order collapse, which meant impressive innings from Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi were in vain.
Anyway, it's awards time - and the topline news is that Umar Gul hit the biggest six of the game. Oh, and Pietersen was Man of the Match.
Pietersen: "Most importantly we're 3-0 up, so it's a series win away from home. I said I was not getting luck, I was getting starts and getting out but with a little bit of fortune I made runs today. I suppose I was a bit more possitive this evening, looking to run at the ball, hit the ball. [On DRS] Definitely not, I start again on nought on Tuesday - it's a great leveller is cricket so I'm not going to say I've cracked it."
Misbah-ul-Haq: "Full credit to England, the way they are performing, their seamers are putting pressure on our batting line-up and restricting us - and it was a wonderful performance by their batsman. It was a good pitch but we kept on losing wickets - we were looking for 270-280. Cricket is all about pressure, when you feel pressure, things start to go wrong. We need to set better targets and give our bowlers a better chance."
Cook: "Again our bowlers were outstanding. To keep them to 220 on that wicket was a fantastic effort. Everyone contributed and 220 was quite a bit below par. [Expect to be 3-0 up?] You can always hope can't you? We didn't play well in the Test series but that doesn't make us bad players over night ... We've put in some really good performances and can take credit for that. Win or lose, you work hard as a team. We kept our chins up through the Test series and stuck to our guns and got the results."
Anyway, that's it from me and Alex. Can England secure a tit-for-tat whitewash from out of leftfield? Join us to find out on Tuesday. Cheerio!
Just one more'll do it ... And KP should now get the honour.
While this series win does not make England immediate favourites for the next World Cup, it does show that England are progressing into a highly skilled ODI team
ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the 3rd ODI between Pakistan and England in Dubai
Kevin Pietersen struck his first ODI century in more than three years as England sealed the series against Pakistan with a nine-wicket win
Misbah-ul-Haq has admitted that the frailty of Pakistan's batting is affecting the balance of the ODI side and obliging them to select an inferior wicketkeeper
Kevin Pietersen has admitted he is facing the toughest challenge of his career as he adapts his game to cope with the Decision Review System