Pakistan v England, 4th ODI: Five Things We Learned

Jason Roy and Jos Buttler inspired England to victory in the fourth ODI against Pakistan. But what did we learn from a third win in a row?

JOS BUTTLER 116* (52 balls)

Devastating beautiful. England put together a near-perfect ODI innings, and Buttler’s knock was the priceless jewel glistening right in the middle of it. Good grief – it was outstanding. Sent up the order at four, his stay at the crease added 161 in the final 14.3 overs. It was a joy to see Buttler return to his best – hitting the Pakistan attack all around the ground, having played himself in with 17 from 19 deliveries. He hit 18 boundaries – eight of them sixes – but perhaps the most startling set of numbers was his move from 50 to his century in the space of 16 balls, which read: •4246641421•6266. This knock means Buttler now has the first, second and third fastest ODI centuries by an Englishman.

ROY OF THE OVERS

A maiden ODI century for Jason Roy capped off a perfect opener’s innings from the Surrey man. He has not quite destroyed an international attack in the manner that he has domestically. But what he has shown is the capacity to tough things out – something he ultimately doesn’t need to do in county cricket. He looked frustrated early on, edging a handful of deliveries just past his stumps before later, on 77, benefiting from a drop at first slip. But more and more with each innings Roy is showing that a key strength of his, along with powerful wrists and exceptional hand-eye coordination, is how quickly he learns.

HAP-AZHAR

Despite his credentials as a one-day batsman, today was another day to mark against Azhar Ali’s credentials as captain. Across the four ODIs his lack of tactical acumen has been exposed by his mistimed bowling changes and peculiar moves in the field. Not only did he bowl Shoaib Malik for an over too many, which resulted in Buttler and Eoin Morgan taking him for 16, but he miscalculated the overs he had left, meaning Wahab Riaz, Pakistan’s best death bowler, had an over spare.

ENGLAND’S SAFETY NET: BELIEF

For those that watched this match from start to finish, or chimed in halfway through when England began their defence of the 356 target, there was a sense of comfort throughout knowing this was going to end in triumph for the tourists. It’s oddly disconcerting for an England fan, who has endured years of frustration in ODI cricket. And why wouldn’t English fans be optimistic after their side had posted their highest ODI score abroad. But so many times England have contrived to lose seemingly un-lose-able games and, after routine drops from James Taylor and Alex Hales, the mind did wonder. But this outfit has more belief than most and met each mistake with even more enthusiasm rather than the “here we go again” attitude that has blighted English teams in the past. Hales got himself back in credit with two fine catches to remove half-centurions Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik.

SPIN ON THE UP

The news that the ECB were to send Adil Rashid to the Big Bash, where he will link up with Yorkshire head coach Jason Gillespie at the Adelaide Strikers, was a welcome change of tact. Rather than spend his winter turning his arm over in the nets - he’s had enough of that in his career - he’ll be honing his white ball bowling in the best short-form tournament in the world, ahead of the World T20 in March. And, with runs to play with, he and Moeen Ali shared six wickets equally. Neither are the finished article, though Ali is clearly ahead, but they and the England management are giving them every chance to flourish on the international scene.