Fourth ODI: England beat Pakistan by 4 wickets

LEEDS: Half centuries from Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow helped England beat Pakistan by four wickets in the fourth One Day International at Headingley on Thursday.

Requiring 248 for victory, England coasted past the target with two overs to spare.

However, it was not all smooth sailing for the Three Lions. Mohammad Irfan, brought back into the side, struck early removing Jason Roy and the dangerous Alex Hales early. Hassan Ali and Umar Gul then struck to remove Joe Root and Eoin Morgan respectively to leave Engalnd precarious at 72-4.

Stokes and Bairstow, however, put on 103 for the fifth wicket to give England a fighting chance.

Moeen Ali, who scored 45 runs off 59 balls, then wound up the innings by lifting Azhar Ali for a six.

Earlier, Pakistan faced a middle order collapse but fighting knocks from Ali, 80 off 130 balls, and Imad Wasim, 57 off 55 balls, helped Pakistan post 247 run total.

The win gives England a 4-0 lead in the five match series.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd, 2016.