Highlights of England Innings : Skipper Alastair Cook scored his 4th ODI century to help England reach a competitive total of 250 for 4 in the Second ODI at Abu Dhabi. It was a second consecutive century in a row for the English Captain as he batted out 40.4 overs to score 102 from 121 balls with 10 fours. Ravi Bopara who hit a fifty in the first ODI, repeated the act to come up with a solid 58 from 66 balls with 4 fours.
England got a good start of 67 in 15.3 overs for the first wicket. Pakistan got its first wicket when Kevin Pietersen (26 from 46 balls) got plumb infront to a turning off break from Saeed Ajmal bowled from round the sticks. Cook got a decent 49-run stand with Jonathan Trott (23) before the former edged his cut to the keeper off Aizaz Cheema in the 27th over.
Cook’s partnership of 78 with Ravi Bopara laid the foundation for a good total on a pitch that was on the slower side. Cook eventually fell in the 41st over when he patted a return catch to Shahid Afridi. England finished off the innings nicely through a fourth wicket stand of 56 between Bopara and Eon Morgan (25* from 29 balls with a six). Afridi with 1 for 38 in 10 overs and Abdur Rehman with 0 for 36 in 10 overs bowled on a tight leash.
Toss and Teams : England have won the toss and elected to bat first in the Second ODI at Abu Dhabi. They have retained the same team that crushed Pakistan in the first ODI also at this same venue.
Pakistan have made as many as three changes with Azhar Ali, Abdur Rehman and Aijaz Cheema replacing Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz.
England XI: AN Cook (Captain), KP Pietersen, IJL Trott, RS Bopara, EJG Morgan, C Kieswetter (Wicket Keeper), SR Patel, GP Swann,SCJ Broad, JM Anderson, ST Finn
Pakistan XI: Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Younus Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (Captain), Umar Akmal (Wicket Keeper), Shahid Afridi, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema
