Over-by-over report from the action at HeadingleyAfghanistan World Cup guide: game plan, key player and predictionEmail tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com | Tweet @tjaldred 3.00pm BST Hello everyone, from lazy Sundayers to Manchester half-marathoners, and welcome to the final episode of the final shoot-out, the last tightrope, the unluckiest of dips. When five become four, as the Spice Girls so nearly sang, If Jofra Archer is already in for super-star sprinkle, and Mark Wood gets in by dint of speed, and Plunkett gets in for stocky middle-over steadfastness, and Woakes for long-standing dazzle, that leaves Tom Curran or David Willey on the outside looking in. If Curran’s performance at Trent Bridge and with the bat today have tipped the scales in his favour, Willey has 10 more overs. Related: David Willey and Tom Curran fight for England’s last World Cup spot 2.50pm BST We have now reached the point, in this age of one-day blast-fests, where a team can make 351 and you feel short-changed. Morgan was outstanding, Root very good, and there were cameos to the left of them (Vince, Bairstow) and cameos to the right (Buttler, Curran). But somehow England managed to lose six wickets for 79, and with them, much of their momentum. The man who made the difference was Imad Wasim. Will England still win from here? Hard to say. They may well be pumped by Curran’s ingenuity, but Pakistan, after a poor start, bowled cannily in the middle overs, and the Englishman best equipped to do that is Liam Plunkett, who’s not playing. Pakistan have a fair chance of a consolation victory, which, on the balance of the series, they surely deserve. Thanks for your company, your emails and one well-judged telling-off (13th over). Tanya Aldred will be here shortly with her signature sparkle. See you in the World Cup. Continue reading…
Via: England set Pakistan a target of 352 to win fifth ODI – live!
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