Five reasons England defeated Pakistan in second ODI

Men in Green suffered second consecutive defeat against hosts on Saturday

KARACHI: On Saturday, Pakistan suffered another heavy defeat against an English side, who were all guns blazing from the word go.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed showed his class once again with the bat with a stunning century to make sure the team recovered from a disastrous start, but unfortunately it was not enough in the end.

The Express Tribune takes a look at five factors that cost the team dearly in the second ODI at Lord’s.

Wrong call after winning the toss:

PHOTO COURTESY: ENGLAND CRICKET/TWITTER

To begin with, Pakistan captain Azhar Ali and the team management started on the wrong foot by opting to bat first on a green looking Lord’s pitch.

The decision was questionable as recently, it is increasingly becoming hard to defend at Lord’s due to its dimensions.The decision became even more questionable after the hosts, in a bid to neutralise Pakistan’s spin attack, left grass on the track and the team lost its first three wickets at the score of just two inside the first four overs.

The decision would have made sense if the match would be a day-nighter,  and if the pitch would be a normal Lord’s track.

Disastrous start

PHOTO: REUTERS

Although team Pakistan is renowned as an ‘unpredictable’ side, there is one thing in which the team is as consistent as no other.

In the second ODI on Saturday, the Men in Green’s start was a nightmare for Azhar and his team, as they virtually lost the game inside first five overs when Pakistan lost openers Sharjeel Khan, Sami Aslam and captain Azhar for the score of just two inside first four overs.

While vice-captain Sarfraz Ahmed played the best innings of his short limited-overs career and scored a stunning century, it was little too late for the team as they suffered a second consecutive defeat in the series.

Poor on-field captaincy:

PHOTO: REUTERS

Once again, Azhar’s captaincy was found wanting in another tight match, where at times he looked like a man short on ideas.

Defending a below-par total of 252 on a small ground, the picture was absolutely clear for Azhar to go for wickets, as it was the only way Pakistan would have stopped the hosts from chasing the target.

However, the 31-year-old was defensive throughout, which led many to question his tactics as the leader of the side.

When it especially came to leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who was in the team primarily to pick up those crucial wickets, Azhar gave him the slips only when he was bowling to the right-handers, and there was no man in the catching position when England skipper Eoin Morgan or Ben Stokes were on strike.

No real finishers:

PHOTO: AFP

From the 1990s to early 2000s, the Pakistan team was one of the best in the ODI format, which was largely due to the firepower in the lower order which included the likes of Wasim Akram, Abdul Razzaq, Moin Khan, Rashid Latif and Azhar Mehmood, who were specialists in scoring quick runs.

This was primarily the reason of Pakistan being the best finishing side in the limited-overs cricket, where the Men in Green consistently used to score over 100 runs in the last 10 overs.

However, with the passage of time, a lot has changed, and now the team is constantly lacking a big-hitting finisher in the 50 and 20-over format.

While Imad Wasim played a useful knock of 63 not out at number seven, he did consume 70 balls for his effort, which is no way near to what is required at the international level.

For a while, it was Anwar Ali who did something similar, but his stint in the team was a short one as he was dropped and the team is seen struggling with the weak lower order.

Unsettled lineup:

PHOTO: AFP

Once again, the team is facing a similar situation under new coach Mickey Arthur that it faced under Waqar Younis, where there are too many changes in the batting order and in the team selection, leading the team to falter over and over again as no player seems to have a defined role.

For instance, Azhar was all of a sudden dropped to one down in the second match after scoring 82 in the first match, whereas Shoaib Malik, who has the most number of centuries in the team and is the most experienced player in the lineup, is coming at number six to do a finishing role.

For any successful team, there is a role defined for every individual, and they know what the team demands from him in certain situations. However, with the current ODI lineup, everyone is playing for their places and no one knows what the team and situation demands from them.