ESPNcricinfo previews the fourth one-day international between England and Pakistan
The Preview by Andrew Miller31-Aug-2016Match factsSeptember 1, Headingley
Start time 1400 (1300GMT)1:56
New heights for ever-improving England
Big pictureThe series is in the bag but the fun, as far as England are concerned, is only just beginning. “We haven’t reached our peak yet,” said Alex Hales on Tuesday night, after leading a record-breaking rampage in the third ODI at Trent Bridge – and unnervingly for Pakistan, he is almost certainly right. With a national-record 171 under Hales’ own belt, and a world-beating mark of 444 for 3 for the team as a whole, England have served notice of just how formidable their one-day set-up might soon turn out to be.But, with a current ranking of No. 5 in the world, and with memories of their debacle in the 2015 World Cup still fresher in the memory than anyone would care to admit, England’s motivation to keep improving won’t be dented by such short-term triumphs, no matter how impressive. The Champions Trophy looms in 2017, and the 2019 World Cup soon after that – both on home soil. If this young and hungry squad keeps its eye on the ball as successfully as Hales, Joe Root, Jos Buttler and Eoin Morgan managed on Tuesday afternoon, an end to England’s drought in global 50-over tournaments could surely be on the cards.Pakistan, likewise, have half an eye on the next World Cup, albeit for far less palatable reasons. Their current ranking of No. 9 may seem implausible – especially when set against their magnificent march to the top of the Test pile – but nothing they have produced in the series so far disputes their lowly status, and the pressure is self-evident if they wish to avoid the ignominy of having to pre-qualify for a tournament that they won, as cornered tigers, under Imran Khan in 1992.Amid the carnage at Trent Bridge, there were a few fleeting indications that the patient has a pulse. Sharjeel Khan’s welcome aggression at the top of the order was matched, in precise numerical terms, by Mohammad Amir’s furious 58 at No. 11, and if more of their team-mates can be encouraged to have a go and hang the consequences – as England themselves did in their post-World Cup epiphany 18 months ago – then the future could yet be a touch brighter.On the flip side, however, the state of Pakistan’s fielding was beyond lamentable. Three grotesque errors in the opening moments of England’s innings set the tone for a woeful day’s work, and though Wahab Riaz just managed to avoid claiming a world record of his own – his analysis of 10-0-110-0 was three runs more economical than Australia’s Mick Lewis at Johannesburg in 2006 – his summer-long tussle with the front line proved incredibly costly, as England benefited from a brace of no-ball reprieves, for Hales on 72 and Buttler on 75.England, to be honest, weren’t a whole lot more impressive in their own fielding effort – in addition to several lapses in their groundwork, Hales blotted his copybook with a routine drop at backward square, and Buttler spilled a running catch behind the stumps as well. But those blemishes merely served to reinforce Hales’ assertion that his team is a work in progress. It’s scary to think how good they might be one day. For Pakistan, however, the current situation is, simply… scary.Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)
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Pakistan LLLWLIn the spotlightOthers seem capable of more high-octane exploits, but no one better exemplifies the thrum of understated class in England’s new-found one-day team than Joe Root. His fury at falling for 85 from 86 balls on Tuesday once again highlighted the desire in his veins, while hinting at a rare weakness in the most rounded batsmen among England’s young guns – namely, a tendency to falter just short of three figures. However, with consecutive scores of 65, 93, 61, 89 and 85 in his last five ODIs, Root has already equalled England’s record of five fifties in as many innings, and he has the chance to press for six in a row, a feat surpassed just once in one-day history, by Javed Miandad (9) in 1987. His innings at Trent Bridge was typical of his best knocks – nigh on anonymous for his first 40 runs, as he nudged the singles and ceded the limelight to the belligerent Hales, before stepping up his intent once the stand had been cemented.Figures of 10-0-74-2 aren’t usually much to write home about, but Hasan Ali emerged with rare credit on an ignominious day for his team-mates. His thrusting, skiddy pace accounted for the dangerous Jason Roy early on – a wicket that was celebrated with a roar of triumph reminiscent of Brett Lee on the same ground in the 2005 Ashes – but it was his subtle variation and calm head at the death that really caught the eye. With England seemingly marching to a total of 450-plus, Hasan’s back-of-the-hand wiles outfoxed the swinging blades of Buttler and Morgan, with just a solitary run off the bat from his first five balls, before a slightly desperate heave over the covers from Buttler secured England the boundary that carried them to a coveted team record. As victories go, it was pyrrhic in the extreme from Hasan. But, for a player who hadn’t yet claimed his maiden international wicket at the start of the series, his willingness to front up in adversity won’t have gone unnoticed as his coach, Mickey Arthur, threatens to wield the axe on a failing squad.Team newsAt Trent Bridge, Ben Stokes came through his first spell since his calf injury with no alarms, and another recently sidelined bowler is making a case for a recall too. David Willey is fit again after sustaining a hand injury, and with the series already wrapped up, there may be a temptation to rest either Chris Woakes, who has had a busy summer, or Mark Wood, whose fitness needs to be monitored after an energetic comeback. There might be a temptation to play Jonny Bairstow on his home ground, but when six of England’s players aren’t required in the compiling of a world-record total, fiddling with the batting seems superfluous in the extreme.England (probable) 1 Alex Hales, 2 Jason Roy, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey/Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Mark WoodThe gigantic seamer Mohammad Irfan, belatedly added to the squad as a replacement for Mohammad Hafeez, might be worth a call-up in place of the perspiring Wahab, whose erratic display at Trent Bridge was a liability. Mohammad Nawaz performed creditably with bat and ball as a stand-in for Imad Wasim, but either he or Shoaib Malik could expect to make way if Imad has recovered from his knee injury.Pakistan (possible) 1 Sami Aslam, 2 Sharjeel Khan, 3 Azhar Ali (capt), 4 Babar Azam, 5 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Mohammad Nawaz/Imad Wasim, 8 Hasan Ali, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammad Irfan, 11 Mohammad AmirPitch and conditionsAnother pleasant late-summer’s day is on the cards in Leeds, on a surface that may have been a touch on the slow side for last weekend’s Royal London Cup semi-final between Yorkshire and Surrey, but was a belter this time last year, when England (304 for 7) beat Australia (299 for 7) by three wickets.Stats and trivia Eoin Morgan needs one more run to reach 5000 in ODI cricket. Among England-qualified batsmen, only Ian Bell (5416) and Paul Collingwood (5092) have scored more runs in the format. However, Morgan’s record includes the 744 he made for Ireland between 2006 and 2009. He is currently seventh on England’s list, with 4255. Root, who needs another fifty to set a new England record of six half-centuries in consecutive innings, is 22 short of 3000 ODI runs. England have won four of their last five completed ODIs at Headingley, dating back to 2008 – including their last meeting with Pakistan, a four-wicket win in 2010. However, there have also been three abandonments in that time, against West Indies in 2009 and 2012, and Australia in 2013. A better memory for Pakistan at Headingley came in 2001, when Waqar Younis claimed his career-best figures of 7 for 36 – the second-best by a Pakistani in ODI history and the seventh-best overall.