Roy and Root shine in England canter

England 194 for 3 (Roy 65, Root 61) beat Pakistan 260 for 6 (Azhar 82, Sarfraz 55) by 44 runs (DLS method)Sorecard and ball-by-ball details

This was another sign of the reversal of England’s fortunes in the Test and one-day formats. Where they had been stretched by Pakistan during a closely contested 2-2 Test series draw, they rebounded with elastic potential during the first ODI to be well ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern requirement when rain returned in the evening to curtail a processional run chase.

Half-centuries for Jason Roy and Joe Root ensured that England would make light work of a target of 261 – revised down to 252 after an initial delay and ultimately pegged at a DLS par score of 149 – and take a 1-0 lead in the series. An encouraging comeback from Mark Wood in a solid all-round bowling effort meant that Pakistan never looked like getting away, with Azhar Ali’s return to form the one bright spot for the tourists.

Roy required the attention of England’s physio, having suffered a dizzy spell after running two in the fourth over, and was badly missed by the wicketkeeper, Sarfraz Ahmed, on 24 but shrugged off such inconveniences to cruise along at more than a run a ball. His fifty came off 43 deliveries and it was something of a surprise when he miscued a wild slog at Mohammad Nawaz, which was well-taken by Babar Azam running along the boundary rope at long-off. His 65 off 56 was the first time since his maiden ODI century last year that he had not converted a fifty to three figures.

Pakistan needed wickets to compensate for their lack of runs but, on a typically true Ageas Bowl surface, Root calmly ushered England past the 150 mark – only to then be caught short by a misjudged call for a single by his captain, Eoin Morgan. Neither Morgan nor Ben Stokes, making his England comeback after a calf tear, looked in the best of nick (only Stokes, with two T20 innings for Durham, had batted previously this month) but they cobbled together enough loose change to keep England well ahead as showers swept in at the end of a muggy day on the south coast.

Azhar’s highest ODI score since making a century against Zimbabwe in Lahore last May and some effective scampering from Sarfraz had provided a platform for …

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