ENG vs PAK, 4th ODI: Babar's ton goes in vain as England win by 3 wickets to clinch series

With this win, England has now taken a 3-0 unassailable lead in 5-match ODI series

With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 nearing by, England are exhibiting their strength by proving that no target is big enough for them. On Friday, the World No 1 ODI side thrashed Pakistan by 3 wickets in the 4^th face-off of the 5-match series at Trent Bridge. The hosts chased down a mammoth 341-run target with 3 balls to spare and won the series 3-0. In pursuit of the target, English batters Jason Roy and Ben Stokes were the wrecker-in-chiefs, registering 114 and 71 respectively. England got off to a good start as openers Roy and James Vince provided a solid foundation to the team as they stitched together a partnership of 94 runs. Their stand was broken in the 14th over as Mohammad Hasnain dismissed Vince (57). Joe Root came out to bat next and he along with Roy put up a 107-run stand. Pakistan came back in the match as they dismissed Roy (114), Root (36), Jos Buttler (0), and Moeen Ali (0) in quick succession reducing England to 216 runs for five wickets in the 31st over. Joe Denly and Tom Curran played useful knocks of 17 and 31 respectively to ease the pressure on Stokes at the other. In the end, Stokes took England over the line by three wickets and with three balls to spare. Earlier, Babar Azam's knock of 115 runs helped Pakistan put 340 runs on the board in the allotted fifty overs. Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam put up a 107-run stand to allow Pakistan to have a solid base at the top. Zaman (57) was dismissed in the 20th over by Tom Curran. Mohammad Hafeez came out to bat next, and he along with Zaman stitched together a 104-run stand, allowing Pakistan to be in a comfortable position at the 30-over mark. Hafeez was dismissed for 59. Pakistan kept on losing wickets at regular intervals as Tom Curran starred for England, taking key wickets at crucial junctures. In the end, Shoaib Malik (41) and Sarfaraz Ahmed (21) played useful cameos to allow Pakistan to score 340 runs in the allotted 50 overs. England next takes on Pakistan in the final match of the five-match ODI series on Sunday, May 19.