England overcame a scare to beat Pakistan by four wickets on Thursday and take a 4-0 lead in the five-match One-Day International series. Pakistan, after scoring 247/8 put a much-improved display but failed to sustain the initial pressure they had built up through Mohammad Irfan (2/26) during the chase. Breezy half-centuries from Ben Stokes (69 off 70 balls) and Jonny Bairstow (61 off 83 balls) helped the hosts sail home with two overs to spare.
Pakistan were yet again undone by their lack of application with the bat, failing to build partnerships in the middle overs. The English spinners, Adil Rashid (3/47) and Moeen Ali (2/39) did the damage. Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali (80 from 104) had yet another solid outing with the bat, but it was Imad Wasim's robust late hitting (57 off 41 balls) that gave the visitors a fighting total under lights.
After a game where records were shattered for fun, England and Pakistan rung in the changes. Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz were replaced by the statuesque Irfan and veteran Umar Gul. Another old-timer Shoaib Malik made way for the hard-hitting Mohammad Rizwan. England also made three changes with pacers David Willey and Chris Jordan making their way back. Bairstow was drafted in as a last-minute replacement for Jos Buttler.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 247/8 in 50 overs (Azhar Ali 80, Imad Wasim 57 not out; Adil Rashid 3/47, Moeen Ali 2/39) lost to England 252/6 in 48 overs (Ben Stokes 69, Jonny Bairstow 61; Mohammad Irfan 2/26) by four wickets.