Despite ending up on the losing side in the final One Day
International (ODI) against Pakistan at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on
Sunday (September 4), England managed an emphatic 4-1 series win, and
limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan attributed it to "outstanding"
performance from the team throughout the series.
"We've been
outstanding. One of the things we identified before the Pakistan tour
was we want to strive to be as consistent as we can. We don't want to be
the best one day and the worst another. Every game throughout the
series, we've come out with a hunger and determination to perform at our
best," Morgan said at the post-match press conference.
"Even
after winning the series 3-0 and being pushed back chasing 250, I
thought we showed a huge amount of character at Leeds. We have shown a
lot of strength throughout this series, and more to build on," the
England captain added.
Quick wickets in the death
overs meant that England, who were asked to bat first, finished 40-50
runs less than what they would have hoped for. Morgan admitted that the
hosts "lost momentum" towards the end of the first innings, but he chose
to dwell on the positives.
"We lost a lot of
momentum by losing wickets in the fashion we did," Morgan said. "We
don't really worry about the consequences. We just want to be better at
executing the shots we want to play so we can post 350. The fact we fell
short and only got 300 isn't a bad thing. I thought Jason Roy played
well, and Ben Stokes backed up his innings from Leeds again. We're
disappointed to lose, but I don't think it was that bad a performance,"
Morgan said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Azhar
Ali was lavish in his praise of Sarfraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik, who came
up with a crucial 163-run stand that got Pakistan back in the chase of
303 after they were reeling at 77 for 3 at one stage.
"The
series was gone but credit should be given to the boys for the way they
played today's game. It's a very good feeling right now. The way
Sarfraz and Shoaib batted, we lost two wickets in one over and that
could have been a turning point of the game but the way they built up
the partnership was brilliant," Azhar said.
Despite
their consolation victory, the 4-1 scoreline has meant that Pakistan
have plummeted to their lowest-ever rating of 86 points in the
International Cricket Council ODI rankings. Currently placed ninth -
eight points behind the eighth-ranked West Indies - Pakistan are in
danger of losing out on automatic qualification for the ICC Cricket
World Cup 2019, with the cut-off date of September 30, 2017 only a year
away.
Azhar had no qualms in admitting that his
team has a lot of work to do to get out of the uncomfortable position
they are in currently, but was happy that they could at least finish
with a morale-boosting win. "Series was gone, losing 4-1 is not a result
you want, but the way things were as a team we wanted to finish on a
good note and that's what we achieved. There are a lot of things need to
be improved, as a team we have to gel together and keep working on it.
"A
few guys we have seen on this tour have really stepped up, they are
young guys and if they can play good consistent cricket we are looking
at a bright future. These are very good signs and especially the way
Sarfraz batted, this whole tour he's been exceptional. He's been
positive and scoring good runs at No. 5, so we've got some good
performances but we just need to bind it together and start playing
consistent cricket," Azhar said.
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