England v Pakistan, 2016
Wisden's review of the fourth ODI, England v Pakistan, 2016
Julian Guyer
15-Apr-2017
At Leeds, September 1 (day/night). England won by four wickets. England 2pts. Toss: Pakistan.
Pakistan's lack of runs again led to defeat, despite a spirited display in the field that reduced England to 72 for four. The hosts were indebted to a pugnacious fifth-wicket stand of 103 between Stokes and Bairstow, playing on his home ground only because Jos Buttler had tweaked a hamstring during the warm-up. The outcome, though, might have been different had the giant left-armer Mohammad Irfan, a late call-up to the squad, been able to bowl his ten overs. He had Roy well caught in the slips by Mohammad Rizwan; then, going around the wicket after twice being warned for running on the pitch, he removed Hales - fresh from his Trent Bridge heroics - caught behind off an excellent full-length ball. But, with figures of two for 25 in five overs, Irfan twice left the field, and bowled only one more delivery (a wide), before walking off with cramp, to the obvious consternation of Pakistan's coach Mickey Arthur. In a mirror image of the conclusion to the Oval Test, Moeen Ali - who added 50 with Bairstow - won the match by hitting Azhar Ali for six. Azhar and the elegantly aggressive Imad Wasim, who faced only 41 balls for his undefeated 57, once more provided the bulk of Pakistan's runs. With England now 4-0 up, ensuring they could not be caught in the Super Series, Arthur described the state of his team's 50-over cricket as "eye-opening".
Man of the Match: J. M. Bairstow.
Pakistan's lack of runs again led to defeat, despite a spirited display in the field that reduced England to 72 for four. The hosts were indebted to a pugnacious fifth-wicket stand of 103 between Stokes and Bairstow, playing on his home ground only because Jos Buttler had tweaked a hamstring during the warm-up. The outcome, though, might have been different had the giant left-armer Mohammad Irfan, a late call-up to the squad, been able to bowl his ten overs. He had Roy well caught in the slips by Mohammad Rizwan; then, going around the wicket after twice being warned for running on the pitch, he removed Hales - fresh from his Trent Bridge heroics - caught behind off an excellent full-length ball. But, with figures of two for 25 in five overs, Irfan twice left the field, and bowled only one more delivery (a wide), before walking off with cramp, to the obvious consternation of Pakistan's coach Mickey Arthur. In a mirror image of the conclusion to the Oval Test, Moeen Ali - who added 50 with Bairstow - won the match by hitting Azhar Ali for six. Azhar and the elegantly aggressive Imad Wasim, who faced only 41 balls for his undefeated 57, once more provided the bulk of Pakistan's runs. With England now 4-0 up, ensuring they could not be caught in the Super Series, Arthur described the state of his team's 50-over cricket as "eye-opening".
Man of the Match: J. M. Bairstow.