England beat Pakistan by 12 runs in 2nd ODI

SOUTHHAMPTON (92 News) – England beat Pakistan by 12 runs in the second one-day international (ODI) at Southampton on Saturday. England edge to victory by 12 runs in a run-fest that featured scintillating centuries from Jos Buttler and Fakhar Zaman. Starting with Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed said, “I think it's hard to take, we were very close. I'm very proud of the team the way they batted, Fakhar Zaman, Babar, Asif Ali especially, will be good for the upcoming matches.” “Whatever the target is, we have to work hard, give credit to my batsmen, I'm very proud. T20 helps, when you need nine or ten, you know how to play these type of matches. Credit goes to Jos Buttler as well, the way he batted,” he said. “Last ten over, our execution was not up to the mark, England bowled well, with their yorkers. We will aim to get better. We can take positives, like Fakhar, before the World Cup, definitely,” Sarfraz mentioned. England captain Eoin Morgan said, “So near, so far. We've seen a grand total of 734 runs scored at the Ageas Bowl, but the scales in the end tipped England's way, as Pakistan could not find an imitation Jos Buttler-style stimulant at the death.” “Buttler was pretty much the difference, hitting as many sixes as Pakistan did combined, as England splurged 74 off their last five overs to take this game ultimately out of reach. Still, not many gave Pakistan an icicle's chance in Hell at halfway, so the spirited way in which they took this to the last few balls is a positive for their chances over the coming weeks,” he explained. “Fakhar Zaman was like a stately wrecking ball, picking off boundaries in between much scampering, Asif Ali showed the man in green how to light the blue touchpaper, and Sarfaraz kept on battling to the end. But while no one could die down Buttler at the death, David Willey, Liam Plunkett and Chris Woakes (just about) held their nerve with the ball for England,” he maintained. Jos Buttler's stunning 50-ball century took England to 373 for three against Pakistan. Buttler´s 110 not out featured nine sixes, including a straight drive off Hasan Ali that took him to three figures. Such was his command that Buttler´s second fifty took him a mere 18 balls, with new father Buttler making a ´rocking the baby´ gesture to celebrate bringing up a century that also included four fours. An extraordinary ´inside out´ six off Hasan over long-off was arguably the pick of his shots, although a pull off Shaheen Shah Afridi that cleared the rope and took him into the 90s was almost as impressive. Together with England captain Eoin Morgan (71 not out) he shared an unbroken partnership of 162. Jos Buttler masterclass, alongside half-centuries from Eoin Morgan and Jason Roy, English finish on 373/3. Incredibly, Jos Buttler gets to a century from just 50 balls. Buttler (110) and Morgan (71) remained unbeaten in the innings previously built by Jonny Bairstow (51) and Jason Roy (87). Yasir Shah, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi picked one wicket each. So, Pakistan will need a record run-chase if they are to claw this one back. Alan will be here shortly to talk you all through it. Respect from Pakistan's fielders as Buttler leaves the field, waving to all quarters with Morgan a respectful few paces behind. The pair have added a monstrous 162 runs from 14.5 overs. Startling turn of pace, and Pakistan have it all to do. Earlier, Pakistan have won the toss and elected to bowl first in their second ODI against England. England have three changes to their line-up: Willey, Moeen and Roy come in for Archer, Denly and Vince. After relentless rain forced the abandonment of the first one-day international, England will be looking for a more favourable result as they take on Pakistan in the second ODI at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton on Saturday. Asking Pakistan to bat first turned out to be the right decision as the hosts made early in-roads before the rain gods decided to intervene. Jofra Archer got a short but effective spell in and picked up another ODI wicket in form of Fakhar Zaman to register figures of 1/6 in four overs. Pakistan will not be too disappointed with how things unfolded on Wednesday considering their shaky start. They lost Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam, cheaply accumulating just 80 in 19 overs. Although Imam-ul-Haq managed to score some handy runs, they will need more than just a competitive total to challenge the strong English batting line-up in the games to follow. Key players Mohammad Amir (Pakistan): Amir's position continues to be a source of interest as the 27-year-old awaits a chance to prove himself. With the first ODI washed out, he has four more games to impress the selectors and sneak into the World Cup squad. Jonny Bairstow (England): If Bairstow's form in the Indian Premier League this year was anything to go by, we can expect fireworks on the Rose Bowl come Saturday. In fact, in the last ODI that Bairstow played here, the 29-year-old smashed a 114-ball 141* two years ago, which still remains his highest score in ODIs. Conditions The weather does not look as bleak as it was in the first ODI. For the most part, it is expected to be sunny and we should be able to get a full game in. The last ODI played here was in September 2017, when England easily chased West Indies' 288 with 12 overs to spare, all thanks to the blistering Bairstow. Squads Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Amir, Asif Ali England: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood. –ICC