Willow point: England skipper wants players to start playing right off the bat
Morgan worried by batsmen’s woes after losing first ODI against Pakistan.
Morgan top-scored for his side with an attacking 76 but there was precious little to write home about other than his and Taylor’s half-centuries. PHOTO: AFP
ABU DHABI:
England captain Eoin Morgan praised rookie paceman Reece Topley but said they need to take a serious look at their batting after they were defeated by Pakistan to go 1-0 down in the four-match ODI series.
After England struggled to 216 all out, Pakistan romped to a convincing six-wicket win in Abu Dhabi in what proved a rousing farewell to Younus Khan, who was playing his last ODI.
Lanky paceman Mohammad Irfan rocked England with a wicket off the game’s second ball before finishing with 3-35 in his 10 overs.
Morgan admitted the batting had let England down after the captain (76) and James Taylor (60) lifted the tourists from 14-3 to 147-3, before they lost four wickets in the space of 32 balls.
“We were looking at a minimum of 250 but getting there obviously wasn’t easy on this type of wicket. We have to reassess that quickly,” said Morgan. “Probably after 20 overs, the ball started to hold up and grip more than it did in the previous few sovers.”
Pakistan also wobbled at 41-3 before opener Mohammad Hafeez hit a brilliant, match-winning 102 not out to help his team overhaul the target in just 43.4 overs.
“I think probably the big positive was having Pakistan in the same position at the halfway mark, and credit to the bowlers to get us there,” said Morgan, reserving special praise for Topley, who grabbed 3-26 in his second ODI. “He is a big asset in the long-term. He is certainly somebody that we are looking at to nurture, particularly with his white-ball skills. He is very good for a 21-year-old.”
Hafeez dedicates win to Younus
Man of the match Hafeez said Pakistan wanted to win the game for Younus. “We were pumped up for Younus and although it was a shock for us to learn that he was retiring, we wanted to give him the win as a sending-off gift, and everyone chipped in,” said Hafeez.
Younus finished his ODI career with 7,249 runs in 265 matches.
Hafeez, who also hit 151 in the third Test in Sharjah as Pakistan clinched the Test series 2-0, said he was happy to maintain his impressive run-scoring form. “I am happy that I am contributing in Pakistan’s wins and everything is going well for me,” said Hafeez.
The remaining matches will be played in Sharjah (November 17) and Dubai (November 20), ahead of a three-match T20 series.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 13th, 2015.
England captain Eoin Morgan praised rookie paceman Reece Topley but said they need to take a serious look at their batting after they were defeated by Pakistan to go 1-0 down in the four-match ODI series.
After England struggled to 216 all out, Pakistan romped to a convincing six-wicket win in Abu Dhabi in what proved a rousing farewell to Younus Khan, who was playing his last ODI.
Lanky paceman Mohammad Irfan rocked England with a wicket off the game’s second ball before finishing with 3-35 in his 10 overs.
Morgan admitted the batting had let England down after the captain (76) and James Taylor (60) lifted the tourists from 14-3 to 147-3, before they lost four wickets in the space of 32 balls.
“We were looking at a minimum of 250 but getting there obviously wasn’t easy on this type of wicket. We have to reassess that quickly,” said Morgan. “Probably after 20 overs, the ball started to hold up and grip more than it did in the previous few sovers.”
Pakistan also wobbled at 41-3 before opener Mohammad Hafeez hit a brilliant, match-winning 102 not out to help his team overhaul the target in just 43.4 overs.
“I think probably the big positive was having Pakistan in the same position at the halfway mark, and credit to the bowlers to get us there,” said Morgan, reserving special praise for Topley, who grabbed 3-26 in his second ODI. “He is a big asset in the long-term. He is certainly somebody that we are looking at to nurture, particularly with his white-ball skills. He is very good for a 21-year-old.”
Hafeez dedicates win to Younus
Man of the match Hafeez said Pakistan wanted to win the game for Younus. “We were pumped up for Younus and although it was a shock for us to learn that he was retiring, we wanted to give him the win as a sending-off gift, and everyone chipped in,” said Hafeez.
Younus finished his ODI career with 7,249 runs in 265 matches.
Hafeez, who also hit 151 in the third Test in Sharjah as Pakistan clinched the Test series 2-0, said he was happy to maintain his impressive run-scoring form. “I am happy that I am contributing in Pakistan’s wins and everything is going well for me,” said Hafeez.
The remaining matches will be played in Sharjah (November 17) and Dubai (November 20), ahead of a three-match T20 series.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 13th, 2015.