Afridi four-for hobbles England despite Duckett hundred
Pakistan need 240 runs from 48.3 overs.
Current RR: 1.33
• Required RR: 4.94
Shaheen Shah Afridi claimed a four-wicket haul • Sameer Ali/Getty Images
Innings break England 241 (Duckett 105, Curran 42, Afridi 4-46) vs Pakistan
Shaheen Afridi led from the front as Pakistan ran through a flat England batting side inside 47 overs for 241 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Four wickets in the first Powerplay put Pakistan on top right from the outset before Ben Duckett and Sam Curran's partnership steered England out of immediate trouble. Duckett offered the only significant resistance through the innings with his seventh ODI hundred, a masterfully composed knock made to look all the more impressive for the stark contrast in it stood to what his team-mates could manage. It was, however, a lone hand, and once a 92-run fifth wicket partnership was broken, England crumbled once more.
Pakistan, clad in resplendent pink to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Day, got the rub of the green as they won their first toss of the series and inserted England. Suddenly it was like the good old times, with Afridi striking in the first over, inducing the in-form Tom Banton into a tame scoop to short cover, bringing up 150 ODI wickets. The following over, Joe Root fell in uncharacteristically soft fashion, slicing Afridi to backward point as Saim Ayub dug out a sharp low catch.
But the crisis klaxon rang with Harry Book's clumsy run-out, when he took off for a risky second, betting against Razaullah's rocket arm. He wasn't aided by a little slip on the fresh grass, and an excellent throw caught him well short of his crease. When Jordan Cox angled Afridi to first slip after a brief, stuttering innings, England were four down for 53, with a massive rebuilding job on their hands.
It was a job that Curran and Duckett took on with a steely determination. Duckett, who had witnessed the carnage from the other end, had by no means been bogged down. He took on Razaullah and rode out the Afridi storm, and was batting at better than a run a ball, single-handedly keeping England's run rate competitive. The pair hit Ayub out of the attack quickly, and dug in through the middle overs as Salman Agha and Shadab Khan probed. They took England past three figures and brought up the 50 partnership, and were rebuilding towards a big finish as the stand neared 100.
It took the reintroduction of Afridi to finally break the stand. Afridi had perhaps been guilty of turning to spin too soon, and when he peppered Curran with the short ball, that became even more obvious. Curran's discomfort with that length saw him hole out, and Pakistan had an opening.
Duckett still held Pakistan at bay, and brought up a hundred with drive down the ground to Arafat Minhas who had, somewhat curiously, been held back till the 29th over. Minhas has a much superior record bowling to left-handers, and would account for Duckett in the following over, a top edge looping up to Salman behind square. He made short work of Jamie Overtion, while Razaullah cleaned up Liam Dawson with an excellent catch off his own bowling.
With England just above 200 and one wicket from being bowled out, Gus Atkinson ensured they would go back with some semblance of momentum, striking a few lusty blows to cobble together 40 for the 10th wicket. It was the second-highest partnership of the innings, which, perhaps, told its own story on an afternoon where the hosts ran rampant.
Danyal Rasool is Cricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000
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