Ben Stokes’ gritty 71 not-out rescued England from a mini-collapse as the hosts beat Pakistan by three wickets with three balls to spare at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Friday.
This win also saw England secure the series at 3-0 up with one more game to go, but it was far from routine.
England were heading towards a target of 341 at 201 for one when Jason Roy’s dismissal for 114 sparked a collapse that saw three wickets lost for seven runs in 10 balls.
After Moeen Ali got out for a duck, England were 216 for five.
But Stokes steadied the ship and with number 8 Tom Curran (31) got England back on track with a stand of 61.
Curran, who recently found a place in England’s final 15-man World Cup squad, already picked four wickets for 75 in Pakistan’s 340 for seven.
This was a modest score at Trent Bridge, where England have twice set the record for the highest ODI total, with last year’s 481 for six against Australia following their 444 for three against Pakistan in 2016.
Earlier, after out in to bat, Pakistan failed to capitalise on Babar Azam’s ton. Their innings crumbled after a century stand between Babar, who made 115, and Hafeez (59).
Pakistan also suffered a setback when their inform opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq had to retire hurt on six after missing an intended pull off an 89 mph ball from fast bowler Mark Wood that hit the former on his elbow.
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
The winning moment as @benstokes38 brought it home!! 🙌
Scorecard/Videos: https://t.co/aHvdDRVXCl#EngvPak pic.twitter.com/30kIHtJBCK
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 17, 2019
England win by three wickets!
Ben Stokes' 71* was crucial for his team as they recovered from a mini-collapse to chase down 341 with three balls remaining. pic.twitter.com/IpFRfOE7XZ
— ICC (@ICC) May 17, 2019
Ben Stokes with the bat in ODIs since the start of 2017:
Matches: 36
Runs: 1,162
Average: 55.33 pic.twitter.com/Rhjytu4akh— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) May 17, 2019
Jason Roy !!! A pleasure to watch …. to bring up a century with a 6 over extra cover off the back foot to an off spinner is nothing short of ridiculous !!!!!!
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) May 17, 2019
A stunning way to bring up your 💯@JasonRoy20!!
Scorecard/Clips ➡️ https://t.co/1uUzT1CdJO#EngvPak pic.twitter.com/NEgrw6jZ6N
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 17, 2019
For his 75-ball century, Jason Roy is the Player of the Match! pic.twitter.com/pqVfYAOwyc
— ICC (@ICC) May 17, 2019
5th century in a 300+ chase for Jason Roy in ODI cricket. Virat Kohli (9) is the only other player to have five or more centuries in 300+ ODI chases. #ENGvPAK
— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) May 17, 2019
Most Man of the Match awards for England in ODIs since the @cricketworldcup 2015:
8 – Jason Roy
7 – Jos Buttler
6 – Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root
5 – Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan#ENGvPAK— FoMA Ramteke (@fomaramteke) May 17, 2019
Jason Roy now averaging 52.25, at a strike rate of 112.10, since his recall two years ago – with five centuries in 30 innings.
— Tim Wigmore (@timwig) May 17, 2019
Try telling me Jason Roy isn’t the best one day opener in the world right now.
— Paolo (@paolohossain) May 17, 2019
A match winning half-century by Ben Stokes!https://t.co/B7OmC9Qj33#ENGvPAK #4thODI #BenStokes pic.twitter.com/NvM3TSEvCK
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) May 18, 2019
