Five-star Woakes wraps up England rout of Pakistan

Published
89
Sarfaraz Ahmed walks back to the pavilion after losing his wicket for 97. — AFP
Sarfaraz Ahmed walks back to the pavilion after losing his wicket for 97. — AFP
Shaheen Shah Afridi (L) celebrates with Sarfaraz Ahmed (C) after taking the wicket of England's Eoin Morgan. — AFP
Shaheen Shah Afridi (L) celebrates with Sarfaraz Ahmed (C) after taking the wicket of England's Eoin Morgan. — AFP

Chris Woakes took five wickets as England beat Pakistan by 54 runs to win the fifth one-day international at Headingley on Sunday.

Victory, in their final match before the World Cup hosts and favourites name their tournament squad on Tuesday, saw England to a 4-0 series win after the first match was washed out.

Woakes took three wickets for no runs in nine balls as Pakistan slumped to six for three in pursuit of a target of 352.

Babar Azam (80) and captain Sarfraz Ahmed (97) then kept England at bay but both batsmen were run out and any lingering hope Pakistan had went with them.

Woakes needed just three balls to have Fakhar Zaman out, caught by Joe Root at second slip, out for a duck.

Abid Ali (five) was then lbw to Woakes.

Woakes then nipped one back to have Mohammad Hafeez lbw for nought, although replays suggested umpire Paul Reiffel's verdict may have been overturned if Pakistan had reviewed the decision.

“Winning 4-0 against a very strong Pakistan team is really good for us, going into a crucial World Cup,” man-of-the-match Woakes told Sky Sports.

'Tough selection'

England will have to reduce their 17-man squad to 15 for the World Cup and captain Eoin Morgan told BBC Radio's Test Match Special: “I could pick 17 at the moment. It is going to be an extremely tough selection.”

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed, who top-scored for his side with 97, said: “Result-wise it is not ideal for the World Cup. But the way the batsman are batting we are ready for the World Cup. We have taken some positives but we need to sort out our bowling and fielding.”

After Pakistan's top-order collapse Babar carried on from his 115 in a three-wicket defeat at Trent Bridge on Friday with a 59-ball fifty. But a fourth-wicket partnership of 146 ended in frustrating fashion for Pakistan.

Sarfraz prodded at an Adil Rashid delivery and set off for a single. But wicket-keeper Jos Buttler moved quickly from behind the stumps to throw the ball to the bowler's end where Rashid, with Babar trying to regain his ground, flicked the ball onto the stumps from behind his back without looking to complete a run-out.

Rashid, in front of his Yorkshire home crowd, then dismissed Shoaib Malik with a diving left-handed catch off his own bowling.

Safaraz was denied what would have been his third ODI hundred in bizarre fashion.

Buttler, having stopped the ball with his boot, saw the rebound fall kindly to run out Sarfraz, who narrowly failed to ground his bat in time.

Pakistan were eventually all out for 297 in the 47th over.

Earlier, England were set for a huge score at 191 for two off 25 overs.

But several batsmen got themselves out, including Test skipper Root, who top-scored with 84, and Morgan, making his return to the side.

Root and Morgan put on 117 in 18 overs but it still needed tailender Tom Curran's unbeaten 29 to take England past 350.

Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim took three for 53, while fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi had four for 82 after striking at both ends of the innings. But the last over saw Curran hit a six and then ramp an outrageous four off successive Hasan Ali deliveries.

Morgan, back after a one-game ban for slow over-rate offences, hit five sixes — including one onto the roof of the Old Pavilion Stand off Mohammad Hasnain — before a mistimed pull off Afridi was caught by Abid.

Root was even closer to a century when he holed out off Hasnain, having faced 73 balls including nine fours.

Teams

England: Jonny Bairstow, James Vince, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wkt), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Tom Curran, Adil Rashid

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfraz Ahmed (capt/wkt), Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain

Opinion

Editorial

Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...
Terror and politics
Updated 29 Sep, 2026

Terror and politics

There is an urgent need to tone down the rhetoric and tackle terrorism as a collective challenge for both the affected provinces and the federation.
Watching the glaciers
29 Sep, 2026

Watching the glaciers

THE latest signs from Pakistan’s mountains are worrying. Suparco says the number of unfrozen glacial lakes it...
Dangerous agenda
29 Sep, 2026

Dangerous agenda

AS the world remains fixated on the US-Iran conflict, elsewhere in the Middle East, Israel is consolidating its grip...