England v Pakistan: Key Plays
The defining moments from the first semi-final, as Pakistan produced a superb performance to upset a much-fancied England side and reach its first ICC Champions Trophy Final.
MOMENT OF THE DAY
England didn’t get off to a flier but at 128-2 in the 28th over Eoin Morgan would have been reasonably content with his team’s start on a slowish track. The wicket of Joe Root changed all that. England’s star batsman had reached 46 from 56 deliveries when he top-edged an attempted cut stroke off the teenage leg-spinner Shadab Khan into the gloves of Sarfraz Ahmed. It was a dismissal from which England never recovered, scoring just a further 83 runs to post a well below par 211.
MAN OF THE DAY – PAKISTAN: HASAN ALI
Fakhar Zaman and Azhar Ali’s half-centuries made a potentially tricky chase look very simple indeed but Pakistan’s bowlers laid the groundwork, judging the conditions perfectly and producing a virtuoso display, backed up by some excellent fielding. Junaid Khan and debutant Rumman Raees were impressive with new ball and old, taking two wickets apiece, and the triumvirate of spinners refused to let England get up a head of steam. However, the star of the show was Hasan Ali. The right-arm seamer took his third three-wicket haul in succession – claiming the key scalps of Bairstow, Morgan and Stokes – and now tops the CT17 wicket-taking chart with 10.
MAN OF THE DAY – ENGLAND: JONNY BAIRSTOW
Slim pickings from an England team that had come into this match as strong favourites after winning 10 of its last 11 ODIs, but Bairstow’s innings backed up the decision to select him in place of the out-of-form Jason Roy. The Yorkshire right-hander had never opened in an ODI before and he very nearly fell second ball, only to survive an lbw shout by the narrowest of margins. Bairstow continued to ride his luck, as Azhar Ali and Babar Azam both dropped tough chances, but he showed enough in his 57-ball 43 to suggest he has a future as an ODI opener.
WICKET: Jonny Bairstow is dismissed by Hassan Ali for 43
SHOT OF THE DAY
When Morgan handed Adil Rashid the ball 14 overs into Pakistan’s reply, it appeared to be England’s last throw of the dice. The men in green had made an excellent start and Morgan urgently needed his leg-spinner to make a breakthrough. Rather than go into his shell, Fakhar Zaman came out swinging; the left-handed opener stepping out his crease and playing a premeditated lofted drive which sailed over mid-off’s head for a one-bounce four. Fakhar’s attacking intent since coming into the team after Pakistan’s heavy defeat to India has been a breath of fresh air for a batting unit which generally tends to err on the side of caution. He will be given a license to thrill once again in the final.
FIFTY: Fakhar Zaman brings up his half-century for Pakistan
BALL OF THE DAY
Hasan’s slower delivery to dismiss Stokes when the slog was on at the death was beautiful in its deception, but the delivery he served up to Moeen Ali in his seventh over was an absolute peach. The 23-year-old found the perfect line and length and got the ball to nip away late, and at pace, just evading Moeen’s outside edge and missing off stump by a hair’s breadth. Unplayable.
STAT OF THE DAY
Stokes came into this match in sublime form, having scored an unbeaten century against Australia in England’s last group match, but the talismanic allrounder summed up his side’s batting travails with an uncharacteristically subdued innings. Remarkably, Stokes failed to score a single boundary during his 64-ball stay at the crease, playing out 34 dots as he scrapped to get his team to a respectable total. He was by no means alone in his struggles. It was the first innings since England’s defeat to New Zealand at the 2015 ICC World Cup in which the team failed to hit a six.