Hales century helps England level series

13 Nov 2015 | Cricket
Alex Hales' maiden one-day international century inspired England to an emphatic 95-run victory over Pakistan in Abu Dhabi which levelled the four-match series.
The 26-year-old, playing his 22nd match, showed no signs of rustiness in only his second competitive hit on the tour of the United Arab Emirates as he struck seven fours and a trio of sixes in a brilliant knock of 109, surpassing his previous-best 67.

Hales also shared hundred stands with Jason Roy and Joe Root respectively in an improved display from the top-order following Eoin Morgan's decision to bat on the same pitch that was used in Wednesday's series opener.

England opening batsman Alex Hales celebrates reaching a century in one-day international cricket for the first time in Abu Dhabi

England would have harboured ambitions of posting a score above 300, but had to settle for 283 for five after excellent death bowling from Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Irfan limited them to only 56 runs from the final 10 overs.

However, they had more than enough on a sluggish surface that got harder to bat on under lights as Pakistan failed to recover from the loss of five early wickets to David Willey and Chris Woakes and were dismissed for 188, Sarfraz Ahmed playing a lone hand with 64.

Willey and Woakes triggered the collapse and returned a career-best 3-25 and 4-33 respectively.

The day belonged to Hales, though, and alongside Roy he ensured England, who slipped to 14 for three in the first game, got off to a fine start here by frequently finding the boundary and moving the score into three figures in just 17 overs, the former reaching fifty off 53 balls.

The impressive alliance ended in soft fashion in the next set of six as Roy, having reverse-swept Yasir Shah's third ball for one of his eight fours, drove Wahab to Shoaib Malik at mid-on for 54.

Hales matched Roy in heralding his third ODI fifty, requiring four deliveries more than his dismissed opening partner to complete the milestone, and helped England set a solid platform at 135 for one halfway through their innings.

With Root rotating the strike, Hales began to attack and welcomed the ineffective Yasir back into the attack with two sixes, slog-sweeping and driving in the space of five balls.

A fine sweep past a diving Wahab took Hales to three figures, from 111 deliveries, but after hitting a third maximum, the right-hander missed a slog-sweep and was stumped by Sarfraz to hand debutant Iftikhar Ahmed a maiden wicket in the 39th over.

After Root, dropped on 30 at point reverse-sweeping, required 49 deliveries to reach the boundary during an excellently-crafted 60-ball fifty, England failed to kick on as the right-hander became the first of three wickets to fall during the last 10 overs when Wahab and Irfan started to show their skills.

The Yorkshireman, whose 63 contained 46 singles, and Jos Buttler were both bowled by Wahab slower balls before Eoin Morgan holed out into the deep off Irfan.

Wahab, finding a hint of reverse, conceded just 10 runs from his final three overs to return 3-43 while Irfan took 1-46.

England's bowlers also took centre stage to leave Pakistan's chase in tatters at 50 for five in the 19th over.

Willey shaped one back in to trap Babar Azam lbw before finding the edge of Mohammad Hafeez, the match-winner in the first game, with an awayswinger.

With the required rate rising above seven an over, Iftikhar and Malik were forced to attack and both right-handers mis-timed pulls from Woakes short balls to leg-side fielders.

Azhar Ali then went after a wide off-cutter and played on to give Woakes his 50th ODI wicket.

Mohammad Rizwan and Sarfraz added 30 until the former, having regularly failed to pick Rashid during his 37-ball knock, was bowled by a quicker ball when attempting to cut.

Sarfraz and Anwar Ali shared a stubborn seventh-wicket partnership of 65 to frustrate England, but knew the game was already gone.

That gave the pair freedom to play their shots, Anwar hitting the first six of the innings before picking out long-on off Moeen and, after Wahab top-edged Willey to Buttler, Safraz nicked Woakes behind.

England's victory was complete when Reece Topley squirmed a full delivery under the defence of Irfan in the 46th over.