Key features of the match –
1. A strong middle order batting showcase by Babar, Hafeez and Sarfaraz made it possible for Pakistan to reach a total of 348 which is the highest in World Cup 2019 till now.
2. Failure of the English opening pair with both Roy and Bairstow falling quick.
3. No early movement in the pitch meant no breakthroughs early on by Woakes, Archer or Wood which was the primary reason for Pakistan to post such a huge total on the board.
4. Excellence in fielding by England in both matches is a reason to restrict their opposition to as many runs as possible, but their Death bowling choked leaking 50+ runs in the last 4 overs when Pakistan were 7 wickets down.
5. None of the in-form batsmen scored big and got out very early on in their knocks, except Root and Buttler who scored a century each
6. Joe Root and Jos Buttler put up a partnership of 130 runs with both of them being the first and second cricketer to score a century in this World Cup 2019 respectively! They made it a competitive fight.
Post-match analysis –
1. The second upset of the tournament after yesterday with Pakistan ending their 12 match losing streak in ODIs that too against the hosts, which means many more upsets yet to come in the further matches.
2. Both teams have played 2 matches each with a win and a loss for both.
3. Pakistan take on Sri Lanka next, with England taking on Bangladesh, making both of them the favourites in their respective matches to win.
4. England become the second team after Australia to register 6 consecutive 300+ team scores in ODIs, and are a threat for every team in this world cup even though they lost today.
Up Next – Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka
Both equally rated teams in this World Cup with Sri Lanka having an experienced side on one end with Afghanistan being the underdogs with a balanced side.
Will be an equal contest, and saying that a team has an upper hand on the other is difficult, and hence will be a good contest to watch.
Both teams started with a loss against tough teams and have scores of 207 and 135 respectively in their previous games of this World Cup.
Analysis of various cricket matches 