http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755’s summer tour of England: Match report - Morgan leads England’s fight back in Fifth ODI
A magnificent rearguard effort by Eoin Morgan helped hosts England post a big total in the final match of the ODI series against Pakistan being played at the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rose-c86842 Bowl in Southampton.
The Irishman once again came to the party with a brilliant counter attack innings after the hosts were stuttering as they lost three early wickets.
Pakistan had made a comeback of their own after openers Andrew Strauss and Steve Davies had rattled along to 31 in less than six overs. Pakistani captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Razzaq-c84421
with Mohammad Hafeez. Soon, Davies found himself stumped by Kamran Akmal off Mohammad Hafeez.
The next to go was Jonathan Trott, who has been concentrating too hard on what to say than on his batting and had his stumps rattled for the third time on the trot in the series; this time by an absolute beauty from Shoaib Akhtar.
English captain Andrew Strauss, who has been the thorn in the flesh of the Pakistanis throughout the ODI’s fell to Shoaib Akhtar soon after, edging a late moving delivery to Kamran Akmal after making a stroke filled 25.
The hosts were teetering at 47/3 at this stage and were rescued by Morgan, who first found help from Ian Bell who struggled with a leg injury and was forced to call for a runner, and then the obdurate Paul Collingwood who fought
a migraine to chip in with a valuable knock for his team.
The Pakistanis missed a trick however and went on the defensive too early. Inexplicably, off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez carried on bowling after the demise of Bell when either Gul or Shoaib Akhtar could have given their team a breakthrough.
Bell was later bowled by Afridi for 28 runs that came off 52 balls and included 2 fours.
Morgan meanwhile kept hitting the odd boundary to up the scoring rate. He once again proved that he was one of the best finishers in the modern game and a perfect number 5 batsman who hardly buckles down under pressure.
He reached his fifty off 58 balls, striking 4 boundaries in the process. The hosts took the power play in the 44th over of the innings and after taking eight runs from the first over bowled by skipper Afridi, Collingwood
perished on the first ball of the next over at the hands of Umar Gul.
Luke Wright followed soon, but Morgan ensured that the hosts reached a challenging total that is set to test Pakistan’s often fragile batting line-up.
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