Morgan plays a captain's innings as England beat Pakistan
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England captain Eoin Morgan led his side to a seven-wicket win over Pakistan in a lone Twenty20 international in Cardiff on Sunday with an unbeaten innings of 57.
Test skipper Joe Root made 47 and James Vince 36 as England overhauled Pakistan's total of 173 for six with four balls to spare at Sophia Gardens.
This was England's second victory in three days after their one-day international success away to Morgan's native Ireland in Dublin on Friday as they continued an encouraging start to a season that sees them staging both the 50-over World Cup and the Ashes.
England fast bowler Jofra Archer also continued his push for a World Cup call-up by taking two for 29 in Pakistan's innings.
The recalled Ben Duckett fell early in England's chase, driving Shaheen Afridi to mid-off, but Vince and Root kept England up with the run-rate thanks to a series of sparkling shots.
Vince was caught down the legside by Pakistan captain and wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed off Imad Wasim but Morgan kept the runs coming, taking 14 off three successive balls from medium-pacer Faheem Ashraf.
And even when Sarfraz caught Root, there was little danger to England's hopes of victory with Morgan hitting five fours and three sixes in his 29-ball stay.
There was a bizarre incident at the start of Pakistan's third over when the ground made way beneath David Willey as the England seamer was just about to make his delivery stride.
Fortunately for England, Willey avoided serious injury.
Babar Azam (65) and Haris Sohail (50) shared a stand of 103 after Pakistan had been 31 for two following Sarfraz's decision to bat first on a green-tinged pitch.
Haris hit Chris Jordan for six before Babar struck successive sixes off spinner Joe Denly to complete a 31-ball fifty.
Pakistan then saw both their well-set batsmen fall in quick succession with Barbados-born Archer, renowned for his form in T20 franchise cricket, removing Haris before he ran out Babar.
England and Pakistan will now play a five-match ODI series starting at The Oval on Wednesday.
Line-ups
Pakistan: 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Imam-ul-Haq, 4 Haris Sohail, 5 Asif Ali, 6 Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt/wk), 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Mohammad Hasnain
England: 1 James Vince, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Joe Denly, 6 Ben Foakes (wk), 7 David Willey, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Tom Curran
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On DawnNews
Comments (85) Closed
May 05, 2019 06:32pm
Where is abid Ali in the squad. The cheif flop selector inzimam should retire
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May 05, 2019 06:52pm
'Pakistan wins the toss' and will lost the game against strong cricket England.
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May 05, 2019 07:05pm
Lost 2 wickets for 31 runs. Definitely not a good start.
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May 05, 2019 07:43pm
the target should be close to 200 runs to be able to win.
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May 05, 2019 07:48pm
Four top English players engaged in IPL...
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May 05, 2019 07:50pm
@J, no politics please.
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May 05, 2019 08:00pm
England is missing 4 main players in the IPL
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May 05, 2019 08:47pm
Four top line English players are engaged in IPL
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May 05, 2019 09:52pm
Pakistan missing a genuine spinner in their bowling lineup. With Shadab Khan out of the team and Imad Wasim who hardly ever spins the ball an inch. We have to somehow resolve our spin worries before the WC.
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May 05, 2019 09:55pm
No stokes, baristow, butler, Ali, jason roy... Looks like England B side. Full strength pakistan will crush them 2:1
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May 05, 2019 09:59pm
Well beaten
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May 05, 2019 10:01pm
So England win by seven wickets despite missing top players because of IPL.... sign of what's in store for Pakistan in this tour?
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May 05, 2019 10:03pm
PAK loses to ENG C team.
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May 05, 2019 10:04pm
No butler , no stokes , no Roy , no Ali , no Johnny .
Still Pakistan full strength team lost to b grade England
We know what to expect from green shirt in World Cup now
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May 05, 2019 10:04pm
Good win by England B team !
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May 05, 2019 10:06pm
Full strength PAK thrashed by half English team missing 5 of their main players.
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May 05, 2019 10:07pm
Pakistan lost
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May 05, 2019 10:08pm
So easily defeated
There was never a sense it was a close match
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May 05, 2019 10:10pm
Can someone stop Ali from doing that weird celebration after taking a wicket? He gets hit left and right, then he celebrates a wicket like anything.
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May 05, 2019 10:13pm
Oh well......same story different venue......
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May 05, 2019 10:16pm
Pakistan will face more difficulties in 50 overs match with this type of batting line up, particularly opening batsmen. I think we have the weakest openers as compared to other teams.
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May 05, 2019 10:18pm
Show has started....result as expected ....no wonder ....
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May 05, 2019 10:22pm
@John, : Agree. Hassan Ali's bowling went downhill ever since he developed this horrible attitude. He doesn't even listen to his captain. He needs to improve his attitude or should be dropped from WC squad.
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May 05, 2019 10:24pm
A well deserved win ....we played sloppy cricket.
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May 05, 2019 10:37pm
Well begun that ends well! Pakistan is heading for a long summer!
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May 05, 2019 10:44pm
Kick the Selector and Captain out of team and we will see the positive result
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May 05, 2019 10:44pm
@Damn fund, What happened buddy? Full strength Pakistan team just got crushed by the depleted English team you just mentioned. Wonder if the England had a full strength team what would have happened to the Pakistani total. It would have been over in 15 overs. And what happened to the World's greatest Bowling attack? Could not defend 170 runs?
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May 05, 2019 10:46pm
I think the World Cup will come and go and Pakistani team would still be warming up and trying to figure out its selection.
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May 05, 2019 11:03pm
Compare the role of the two captains today and you will find one of the reasons of continuous defeat.
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May 05, 2019 11:04pm
Green lab lab different venue...… Was expected.
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May 05, 2019 11:07pm
Eleven runs per over in the last 5 overs made the difference.
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May 05, 2019 11:08pm
Strong Bangladesh cricket team will defeat Pakistan next.
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May 05, 2019 11:11pm
Eagerly waiting for clash of minnows, Afg vs Pak in worldcup !
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May 05, 2019 11:17pm
@Razzak , it's a ENG C team.
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May 05, 2019 11:32pm
Inzi must go he was an embarrassment of a player and even worse selector full of politics shud also take mickey with him aswell. Amir abid and rizwaan need to be selected regardless of arm length.
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May 05, 2019 11:34pm
@TOMATO, welldone to Indians for following Pak cricket instead of IPL.
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May 06, 2019 12:31am
5-0 in ODIs as well coming up by England.
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May 06, 2019 01:16am
@Khurram, Also must have no family of chief selector Inzimam in cricket.
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May 06, 2019 01:16am
And the best bowling lineup in the world couldn't defend the target.
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May 06, 2019 01:39am
@M. Emad, Will Bangladesh players even know what kit to wear.
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May 06, 2019 01:40am
Lots of Indians following Pakistan cricket.
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May 06, 2019 01:42am
Eng are clear favourites this year
Pakistan : Wont reach semi-finals. Apart from that, depends on who turns up..
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May 06, 2019 01:42am
There was only one captain is today’s game, And it was Morgan. He played a captain’s knock and won the game for his team. Our captain did not even come out to bat today and was pretty much a spectator in the game today. Lack of leadership and planning caused the loss today
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May 06, 2019 01:47am
Well played England. Universe boss.
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May 06, 2019 02:21am
First of all... that’s no logic if top England players were missing then Pak cannot win when they come back. Reason being the same Pak team has beaten England top team many times in the past.
Secondly the main reason of Pakistan defeat is inept and mediocre captaincy by Sarfraz. He only knows how to show burst of anger and keep shouting at fellow players.
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May 06, 2019 03:06am
Sarfraz's decision making ability is questionable in each and every match which I watched in the last 12 months. He did not bowl Haris Sohail as we lacked a second spinner and he chose to bat on a wicket where even 200 could not be defended easily. We lost wickets to stupidity and incompetent running between the wickets otherwise no bowler in this match had a upper hand on bating.
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May 06, 2019 03:08am
@M. Emad, in your dreams only...
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May 06, 2019 03:10am
Abid is a much better choice than Imam Ul Haq. But Alas!! Abid has no uncle in the PCB.
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May 06, 2019 03:23am
Have you noticed, all captains have played captains knock against Pakistan, but our own captain is not to be seen! That’s one big problem, granted different role, but nevertheless less an issue, as he can’t inspire! Williamson, Finch, Morgan, Faf du Plesi, Root, list goes on and on.
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May 06, 2019 03:48am
Bowling has lost its magic. May be bring back Amir. And a good spinner.
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May 06, 2019 04:03am
Fortunately I did not watch he game. Can someone tell me why Imam Ul Haq is in the T-20 team? And he is coming first down which is a huge responsibility. He is NOT a T-20 player, I rather give an opportunity to someone else. Babar Azam and Haris Sohail played well, however, there was no one to support them. I think Pakistan's bowling is way overrated, I understand Shadab, Hafeez and Shoaib are not playing but we are clearly short of another spinner. Pakistan's population is is over 210 million and you are telling me we do not have another spinner besides Shadab. I wish Shadab a speedy recovery and hope he plays in the world cup. Maybe there is a reason why PCB is asking Inzmam ul Haq to take another position in PCB and step down the chief selector position.
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May 06, 2019 04:11am
@John, its not weird, its his stamp of authority and shows he is passionate about the game. Who are we to tell him to stop.
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May 06, 2019 04:17am
@ M. Emad, but despite defeat Pak team will still be ranked No1 T20 side in the world.
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May 06, 2019 05:35am
As expected, another shameful performance by the Pakistani team . I am not expecting anything positive from them in the coming World Cup either. A bunch of losers.
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May 06, 2019 05:45am
Pakistan has no chance in this WC.
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May 06, 2019 06:43am
@J, which Abid?
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May 06, 2019 07:11am
@J, what is the fault of Inzimam?
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May 06, 2019 07:14am
@J, is his retirement is the solution?Abid Ali is not Viv Richards,wait ans watch,he is part of odis squad.Everybody starts finding faults with every selection committee,this is not roght at all.
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May 06, 2019 07:20am
@Anuj, There is no C team,that is England's team.
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May 06, 2019 07:23am
What happened to the so called scariest bowling attack in the world ? Could not defend a huge 170+ score against England "C". 5-0 thrasing in the ODI series coming next.
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May 06, 2019 07:45am
I guess Pakistan was expected to lose as fitness concerns of cricket squad are voiced when on tour. The batting collapse is a familiar script starting with Faqar Zaman who played a nothing shot to be caught and with no communication between players lost 2 wickets in succession to run outs. Asif Ali will have to learn that he was not in England to stroll in the park, it was shocking. The young bowlers are on a learning curb so cannot blame them but Pakistan is short of a world class spinner in Shadab Khan or his magical replacement, the magician spinner and the most potent spinner ever coming to the world scene, take a bow Omar Khan.
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May 06, 2019 07:49am
@Jigar, no. He was following England.
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May 06, 2019 08:08am
@Jigar, Indians know that you will definitely loose and that is even more entertaining then our IPL...we still have enough public to see IPL
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May 06, 2019 08:12am
@Sab Se Pehle Pakistan, *"Hassan Ali's bowling went downhill ever since he developed this horrible attitude"*
Read Shahid Afridi's book. According to him apparently everyone in the Pakistani team has an attitude problem.
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May 06, 2019 08:52am
Uninspiring Pakistani squad. One cannot write them totally off for the World Cup. But the first match against the West Indies will be critical. If they go down against the Windies, it will take a real turn-around for them to make the semis. Again... it is possible but I am not betting my money on them!
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May 06, 2019 09:05am
A very weak english side. Half of the players from this England team will not even play in the world Cup
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May 06, 2019 09:20am
Umar khan. junaid khan should be used. Bowlers should have the ability to skid the ball for producing that uneven bounce for disturbing the batsman. This pakistan team is not a first class professional team for match winning purposes. It seemed that it pakistan had made 200 plus still England would have been able to chase the target and win the match. All departments are lacking some serious match winning facts which if not rectified might display a total loss in the world cup. Then mickey arthurs contract would be finished and inzimams tenure for the selection committee would be over all responsibilities would go under the rug another group would be selected and again the same story.for how long do they want to play with pakistan cricket team. Abdul Qadirs son would be a better prospect but still personal grudges and ...... are depleting the pakistan cricket roots. Its not good. Whats the use of regretting when our own selves are lacking the plus points and are still saying we know what we are doing.
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May 06, 2019 10:08am
Capt Morgan blasted a six to win the one off T20
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May 06, 2019 10:45am
I have never seen such type of coward captain like Sarfraj in my life. He don't think he is capable even on the 8th. position.
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May 06, 2019 11:05am
@Vikas, Pakistan is #1 in T-20 per ICC
rankings.
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May 06, 2019 11:48am
With due respect to Pakistan, they become No. 1 T20 team just because they played against weaker opposition. They are a good T20 team but they are never a great team in foreign conditions
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May 06, 2019 01:23pm
With 2019 World Cup Cricket tourney less than 24 days away, this was indeed an ill-timed T/20 match between England and greenshirts.
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May 06, 2019 03:40pm
@JackJones, by playing ZIM more than any other team, that too with a full strength squad.
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May 06, 2019 03:40pm
@JackJones, cause nobody takes T-20 seriously other than PAK, the only exception is WT20 event.
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May 06, 2019 03:51pm
Deep third man . long stop. Deep fine leg"should be controlled".utmost try should be done for Bowling according to the field.
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May 06, 2019 05:28pm
Pakistan gave the game away, you have to have the presence of mind when you are playing. Asif was out just standing around for someone to get him out. The players should get taught to be ready for all these types of scenarios. Well done England you played excellent.
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May 06, 2019 06:29pm
I am surprised Pakistan has a 1:15 odds of winning the World Cup and Bagladesh 1:81. It should have been opposite. At 1:81 B'desh is a great bet. Not so sure about Pakistan? Meanwhile favourites England are 1:3.25 and India 1:3.50
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May 06, 2019 07:40pm
How a low rated england team beat our mighy team ? We are the favourites to win the world cup... Need a thorough analysis about this debacle...
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May 06, 2019 09:25pm
@Jigar, what made you think they followed Pak cricket? Commenting based on report here...
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May 06, 2019 09:26pm
@Ash Zed, just check Asia Cup results!! BD beat Pak
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May 06, 2019 09:29pm
@Insaaf hoga zaroor hoga, Not sure how Pak is T20 no 1 team....? How did they become one?
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May 07, 2019 12:50am
Lack of "confidence" is the key, look at the manner in which batsman get out and later fielding lapses. On top of that our fellow citizens when cannot say a good thing then better say nothing which also contributes to the psyche of our players, they need to believe in themselves. We should stop criticizing the selection because we know this is the talent we have and 300 player cannot go on tour, regardless results will be the same.
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May 07, 2019 12:44pm
@Samrat, Does not change the fact that Pakistan is #1 in T-20 per ICC ranking.
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May 07, 2019 12:45pm
@Leo, Does not change the fact that per International Cricket Council (ICC) ranking Pakistan is # 1.
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May 07, 2019 05:25pm
@JackJones, I believe England were playing their usual T20 team, which a separate team but Pakistan gave its regular one day side an outing and hence Imanul Haq was included. Pakistan had groomed Shadab Khan who not only is a brilliant spinner but one of the best fielder in the world and if he does not recover in time by 22 May, alternate spinner may be included. Pakistan has several good spinners but a spinner with outstanding talent is just 18, Pakistani Selectors coming from the old school of thought have shown reluctance to draft him in the squad.
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