England prevail by 44 runs in first ODI
IN FORM: Jason Roy made 65 and Joe Root 61, before rain brought a premature end to the match
SOUTHAMPTON, United Kingdom: England beat Pakistan by 44 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis scoring method in a rain-affected first one-day international in Southampton on Wednesday.
Pakistan made 260 for six in their 50 overs and England moved on to 194 for three in 34.3 overs, Jason Roy making 65 and Joe Root 61, before rain brought a premature end to the match.
Pakistan captain Azhar Ali, who won the toss, hit 82 to lead his team to a below-par total in bright sunshine and ideal batting conditions.
Azhar started slowly but increased the tempo to strike nine fours before top-edging leg-spinner Adil Rashid to Moeen Ali at short fine leg.
Babar Azam scored 40 and Sarfraz Ahmed 55 but the touring side never really broke the shackles imposed by a disciplined England attack in which Rashid was the most successful bowler with figures of 2-51.
England lost Alex Hales for seven but Roy flayed six fours and a six and shared a second-wicket partnership of 89 with Root.
Roy was caught on the long-off boundary off Mohammad Nawaz and Root was run out after being called through for an impossible single by captain Eoin Morgan but England were always ahead of the required run rate. Morgan finished on 33 not out with Ben Stokes on 15. The second game in the five-match series is at Lord’s on Saturday.
Earlier, Azhar Ali led from the front with 82 before England fought back to hold the tourists to 260 for six.
In a rain-interrupted innings, Sarfraz Ahmed (55) was the only other batsman to make a fifty and Pakistan’s plight in this day/night clash would have been worse had Azhar not twice been dropped on nine.
Azhar won the toss in the first of this five-match series and elected to bat in what was then bright sunshine.
Sharjeel Khan, carrying on from his blistering 152 in last week’s 255-run win over Ireland, struck three fours in 15 balls.
But the left-handed opener fell for 16 when he top-edged a pull off fast bowler Mark Wood and was caught behind by Jos Buttler.
England, whose fielding had proved fallible during a recent 2-2 drawn Test series against Pakistan, then twice dropped Azhar.
He was put down in the gully by Alex Hales off Wood, playing his first match for England since a Test against Pakistan in Dubai in October following persistent ankle problems.
Azhar was still on nine when he glanced fast bowler Liam Plunkett and a diving Buttler dropped the difficult left-handed chance.
England captain Eoin Morgan decided to bring part-time spinner Joe Root on ahead of specialist slow bowlers Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid.
He was rewarded when Mohammad Hafeez (11) swept a Root off-break straight to Hales at deep backward square leg.
Azhar and Babar Aslam (40) rebuilt the innings with a third-wicket stand of 61. But Babar, who faced just 42 balls, was unlucky when given out lbw to leg-spinner Rashid by Australian umpire Simon Fry, even though replays clearly showed an inside edge.
However, as Sharjeel had wasted Pakistan’s lone review of the innings, Babar had to go and Pakistan were now 113 for three off 24 overs.
Azhar pressed on to a relatively sedate 84-ball fifty, including four fours.
He then upped the tempo sweeping Rashid to the boundary.
Azhar and Ahmed shared a fifty partnership in 56 balls before the skipper clouted Plunkett through midoff for a well-struck boundary.
Ahmed took up the charge, advancing down the pitch to drive Wood. The wicket-keeper went on to make a 52-ball fifty.
Pakistan were 173 for three off 35 overs and on course for a big total.
But soon afterwards Azhar topedged a slog-sweep off Rashid to Moeen Ali at short third man to end a 110-ball innings featuring nine fours.
The tourists’ progress was checked again by a brief rain break which stopped play with Pakistan 218 for four off 42.1 overs. by