BRISTOL: Imam-ul-Haq came into form ahead of the World Cup with acareer-best 151 as Pakistan made 358 for nine against tournament hostsEngland in the third one-day international at Bristol on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old left-hander’s innings was also the highest individual scoreby a Pakistan batsman against England at this level, surpassing the 138made by his opening partner, Fakhar Zaman, in a 12-run defeat atSouthampton on Saturday that left the home side 1-0 up in this five-matchseries.
Meanwhile Chris Woakes did his chances of being included in tournamenthosts England’s final 15-man squad for the World Cup no harm with a returnof four wickets for 67 runs in a maximum 10 overs.
But team-mate Joe Denly’s World Cup chances suffered a setback, with theleg-spinner — playing in place of the rested Adil Rashid — bowling a coupleof full tosses in a solitary over costing nine runs before he was taken outof the attack by England captain Eoin Morgan.
Warwickshire pace-bowling all-rounder Woakes made an early double strike toreduce Pakistan to 27 for two after Morgan won the toss and decided to letEngland chase — they generally prefer to bat first — ahead of the World Cup.
Woakes’s last ball of the first over, an excellent full-length delivery,had Fakhar edging to second slip where Test skipper Joe Root held a juggledcatch.
Number three Babar Azam was then clean bowled by a Woakes off-cutter.
But new batsman Haris Sohail was quickly into his stride in ideal battingconditions on a sunny day.
The left-hander hit two superbly timed fours off successive Woakesdeliveries through point and then drove David Willey through the covers fora boundary.
But Sohail’s excellent run-a-ball 41 came to an unfortunate end when,called through for a single by Imam, he was run out by bowler Tom Currankicking the ball onto the striker’s-end stumps.
Pakistan were then 95 for three in the 17th over.
But Imam and Asif Ali, whose 52 was his second successive fifty, repairedthe damage with a fifth-wicket partnership of 125.
Imam, the nephew of Pakistan great and selection chief Inzamam-ul-Haq, wentto his sixth hundred in 27 ODIs — and first against England — off 97 balls.
He continued to take the attack to England, driving Willey for a straightsix and next ball glancing the left-arm quick for four.
Imam then surpassed his previous ODI best of 128 against Zimbabwe atBulawayo last year.
Asif holed out off Woakes and Imam’s excellent innings ended when he wasbowled, giving himself room, by Curran.
Imam faced 131 balls including 16 fours and a six.
Tailenders Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi hit out to leave England, whohad also rested Jos Buttler following the star batsman’s blistering 110 notout at Southampton, with a decent chase for victory. -APP/AFP