5 Talking Points from the Pakistan-England ODI Series

The ODI Series between England and Pakistan was filled with a lot of surprises and close finishes. Given that both teams have had a mixed baggage in 2015 with respect to ODI matches, a clash between these two teams was an interesting encounter to watch.While Pakistan’s current bunch of frontline players including the likes of Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan and Wahab Riaz did not fail to impress the fans, the young gun Babar Azam stepped up to the situation and wonderfully responded with fluent and consistent performances, thus ensuring that his stay in the international arena would not be short-lived.The English Camp was also no short of talent and teamwork, with Eoin Morgan hitting the right cards with his captaincy, Alex Hales developing into a dependable player, and the 25-year-old Jason Roy stealing the show with his magnificent batting.In the light of such stellar performances, here are 5 Talking points from the ODI series that was won 3-1 by England.

#1 Eoin Morgan\'s Captaincy

Morgan led from the front

With much being said about Eoin Morgan’s captaincy after England’s disastrous and infamous exit from the World Cup in early 2015, Morgan is likely to heave a sigh of relief after this series, having put his critics to rest. Leading the English side against Pakistan, Morgan’s knocks as a captain bore fruit as his team sealed a resounding 3-1 victory over the Men in Green.

Morgan’s last ODI innings prior to the Pakistan series, was cut short by a Mitchell Starc bouncer, which hit him on the side of the helmet at Old Trafford. After retiring hurt on 1*, Morgan was ruled out of further matches and did not bat again until the warm-up one-dayer against Hong Kong leading up to the series.

While his 16 off 20 balls gave inconclusive signals about his inclusion for the series against Pakistan, the selectors kept the faith, a clear indication of their plans of building a strong English side around him. They were vindicated as his smart captaincy and exquisite batting secured a comfortable series win.