Ahead of the series, Ben Stokes had emphasised on not putting an unnecessary burden on himself or on the new England squad. The scepticism was logical, and in synchronisation with reality. England were supposed to take on one of the premier teams, and none barring Stokes was accustomed to playing at this level.
And a few days later, they find themselves on the brink of a clean sweep over Pakistan. The third ODI will be played at Edgbaston. England are unlikely to flirt with their winning combination.
Having already won the series, England may not have much to play for as a unit. But on a personal level, there is still a lot at stake. Saqib Mahmood has been terrific so far, but he is still unsure about his next gig for the national side. One productive outing here will strengthen his case.
Phil Salt’s 54-ball 60 oozed with flair. He will definitely like to sign off the series with an encore of the last ODI. Although Salt is unlikely to break into the playing XI once the first-string players return, he may make a case for the first replacement if one of them between Jason Roy or Jonny Bairstow gets injured.
Pakistan, on the other hand, are left with a lot of soul-searching to do. The team combination is hardly an issue. Twice in a row, they have been let down by their top-order batters. Imam-ul-Haq has got 0 and 1, and Babar Azam 0 and 19. Babar was undone by Mahmood on both occasions.
Mohammad Rizwan's figures are not much different. Fakhar Zaman held the innings together in the first match, scoring 47 in 67 balls to take Pakistan to a face-saving total. He tried the same in the next match, but was hit through the gate by Craig Overton.
Head to Head
England have met Pakistan 89 times in ODIs. They have won 54 and lost 32.
Probable XIs
England: Phil Salt, James Vince, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes (c), Lewis Gregory, John Simpson (wk), Craig Overton, Jake Ball, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Haider Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
Betway Prediction
Pakistan to avoid the clean sweep.