Lewis Gregory digs deep with bat and ball as second-string England seal first-class series win
England overcome Hasan Ali five-for to win by 52 runs to take series with game to spare
England overcome Hasan Ali five-for to win by 52 runs to take series with game to spare
Scorer: Ranjith P | Commentator: Karthik Krishnaswamy
7:40pm And that is that from us. England pick up a series win that has shown their scary limited-overs depth, and Pakistan have a lot to ponder ahead of the third and final ODI. We hope you've enjoyed our coverage. Lots of cricket coming up in the next few weeks. Make sure to tune in, and keep sending in your comments. Bye!
Lewis Gregory, the Player of the Match: It was just a case of trying to take it as deep as possible, trying to build a partnership with Carsey, even if I got out at the wrong time. We could have gone harder at the end if I'd been there. It kind of nibbled around with the new ball. Saqib's been brilliant, and I thought all four guys were outstanding all around."
Ben Stokes: "The way we came out and showed intent with the bat early on really set us up. Tricky period in the middle, but the pleasing thing was the inexperienced players coming in and showing the mindset to keep attacking. We were still above the run rate that we should have been at that stage. And with the ball, we were just clinical. Lewis and Brad are very capable batsmen, and their partnership gave us a good total, with the wicket offering a bit of seam. I think two guys who got runs in the first game not getting them in this game puts pressure on new guys coming in. There's no better way in international cricket than to put your hand up and deliver under that sort of pressure. We've won the series already, but there's nothing better than continuing the winning streak. We'll take the same mindset into the next game, and if anything we'll come harder."
Babar Azam: "We used the first 10 overs well, but we didn't bowl well for the next 10, but credit to Hasan Ali for bringing us back with five wickets. We didn't start well with the bat, lost back to back wickets, and couldn't put up partnerships. We hope we can fix this in the next match. Hasan bowled outstandingly, and Saud Shakeel showed his performance, we see the next match as a good opportunity, and points are still at stake."
Sarim: "Honestly I'd prefer us getting beaten by 200 runs to a fully healthy England side than whatever has happened these past two games. Losses like these make you want to stop wanting to follow this game any longer."
Arthur: "5 catches for Simpson. That doesn't happen every day."
Ammar Zia: "Plenty of mental toughness shown by Saud, hanging in there while all the veterans fell"
Shantanu Chatur: "As a huge Pakistan fan across the border, this is just hurtful to watch. Spent the entire day hoping and waiting for a miracle but some things never change. I could see Maqsood getting out from a KM away. A lot of us Indians treat Pakistan as the 2nd favourite side. Alas, same old story"
Mark: "Gregory, Overton, Parkinson, Carse, Salt and Saqib all have been impressive. The bench strength looks immense"
7.23pm England win by 52 runs, and they take an unassailable lead in the series. The third ODI won't be a dead rubber entirely, because Super League points are still up for grabs, but the series is won, and England will be delighted with the performance of their second-string seam attack in particular. There was a bit of juice in this pitch, and all four of their seamers made life extremely difficult for Pakistan's batters in this chase of 248. Gregory finishes with three wickets to go with his 40 with the bat, and Saqib Mahmood was often unplayable with the new ball, bowling with four slips at times. Those two are probably the two biggest contenders for Player of the Match. Pakistan, meanwhile, might take some solace from the performances of Hasan Ali and Saud Shakeel - who took the important wicket of Phil Salt before contributing a cool-headed maiden half-century.
Haris Rauf c †Simpson b Gregory 1 (6m 4b 0x4 0x6) SR: 25.00
Here is Pakistan's No. 11, Haris Rauf. Gregory comes back into the attack, from over the wicket.
James: "Lewis Gregory MoM for me, bowled well and without his batting they'd have struggled."
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England overcome Hasan Ali five-for to win by 52 runs to take series with game to spare
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