ENG VS PAK - 2nd ODI, Pakistan tour of England, 2021

Two matches, two convincing wins and England have cruised to yet another ODI series win. Pakistan were far more competitive today than in the opening game, especially with the ball but they were too inconsistent to threaten England. The biggest difference came in the performances of the support seamers - England's were relentless while Pakistan's were too erratic. Right then, the series might have been sealed but in this era of World Super League points, the next game has points for grabs despite technically being a dead rubber in the series perspective. Do join us for that one. Until next time, this is Hari Sadanandan signing off on behalf of Raju Peethala, Abhinand Raghavendran and Naga. Cheers!

Lewis Gregory | Player of the Match: It was a case of taking it deep (in the batting) with Carse. We did that although probably I got out at the wrong time. It nibbled a bit all day, especially with the new ball. I thought if we could pitch it up, we could get wickets. Saqi (Mahmood) has been outstanding for us. This has been a fantastic opportunity for the lads to show what they are capable of.

Ben Stokes | England captain: The way we came out and showed that intent with the bat set us up for that tricky period in the middle where we lost wickets. The pleasing thing is that even the inexperienced men are taking the attacking option and that speaks volumes of the culture we've created over the last four or five years. We got early wickets with the ball and that always helps in defending scores. We were confident of our batting depth, Lewis and Carse are capable batters, they did really well. The new guys coming up have put up some really amazing performances amidst all the chaos that happened leading up to the series. We have won the series but nothing better than completing it with a win.

Babar Azam | Pakistan captain: I thought we bowled well at the start but couldn't sustain it for longer periods and that's where it cost us. With the bat, we couldn't do well in the first 10 overs and there weren't any partnerships as such. We lost too many wickets early and it was hard to come back after that. Hopefully we can sort things out before the next game. The way Hasan bowled and Shakeel batted, these are good positives for us. Focus is to do well in the next game because there are still Super League points on offer.

19:24 Local Time, 18:24 GMT, 23:54 IST: At this rate, we'll be running short of adjectives for England's white-ball culture and their now evident bench strength. As mentioned at the halfway mark, 247 wasn't matchwinning but it certainly was competitive on a surface that had enough seam movement in it. Like at Cardiff, England's new-ball bowling was on point, and Mahmood once again stood out with a roaring opening burst - removing Babar and Rizwan to deflate Pakistan. The chase never really took off thereafter, although Hasan Ali's cameo did offer some entertainment. Shakeel was the only batter to show some resolve and his stand with Shaheen might have ignited some hope in the visitors' camp. However, it was a bridge too far for them. Stokes in his 100th ODI has got the best gift - a series win with a fringe squad. Pakistan did bat badly but they will also rue their inconsistent bowling, gifting more runs than they should have.

Gregory to Haris Rauf, out Caught by Simpson!! England seal the series with another comfortable win! The impressive Simpson behind the stumps caps things off with another fine diving take down the leg-side. Was a short ball that stuck on the deck a bit, Rauf was early into the pull and got a faint top edge on this one. Gregory and Simpson knew it straightaway, and so did the ump. Haris Rauf c Simpson b Gregory 1(4)

Gregory to Haris Rauf, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Gregory to Haris Rauf, no run, swing and a miss! Fuller one from Gregory and Rauf's eyes lit up as he went for an massive hoick across the line. Misses it by some distance in the end

Gregory to Haris Rauf, no run, angling in from around off, Rauf defends towards point. Wants the single but Shaheen Afridi sends him back

Gregory to Shaheen Afridi, 1 run, back of a length around leg stump, pulled away to deep mid-wicket

Gregory to Haris Rauf, 1 run, slanting in on leg stump, tucked gently towards mid-on

Gregory to Shaheen Afridi, 1 run, fuller and outside off, driven through the covers

Lewis Gregory [7.0-0-41-2] is back into the attack

Haris Rauf, right handed bat, comes to the crease

Parkinson to Saud Shakeel, out Caught by Craig Overton!! Gone this time! More loop from Parkinson, teasing Shakeel and this time he gets a better connection on the slog sweep but the placement is haywire. Straight down Overton's throat at deep square leg. The only minor hope that Pakistan might have had of sealing this game is now nipped. Good hand from Shakeel though, tried his best and if only one more specialist batter had shown the same resolve, Pakistan might have been in a better position. Saud Shakeel c Craig Overton b Parkinson 56(77) [4s-4]

Parkinson to Saud Shakeel, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Parkinson to Saud Shakeel, 2 runs, big miscue.....falls safe! Shakeel is finally tempted into a big shot by the loopy leg breaks from Parkinson, doesn't connect the slog sweep properly. Fortunately for him, that proves to be a boon as this falls well short of the charging deep mid-wicket fielder

Parkinson to Saud Shakeel, no run, the googly this time, Shakeel tries to play the late cut but is beaten on the outside edge. Extra bounce!

Parkinson to Shaheen Afridi, 1 run, sliding into the pads, tucked away through mid-wicket

Parkinson to Saud Shakeel, 1 run, steps out for the big shot but ends up getting this off the inside half, just wide of Parkinson and down to long-on