England vs Pakistan: Eoin Morgan praises Alex Hales after record-breaking day

Man in form: Alex Hales
Gareth Copley/Getty Images
By Tom Collomosse30 August 2016

Eoin Morgan hailed Alex Hales after he broke the England one-day batting record and the team set the highest 50-over total in history.

Hales made 171 against Pakistan, beating the 167 not out made by Robin Smith against Australia in 1993, as England piled up 444 for three – a total no team has ever made in this form of cricket. It was enough to secure a 169-run victory at Trent Bridge.

Hales rode his luck during his innings but after a tough Test summer, in which he failed to make a century against Sri Lanka or Pakistan, captain Morgan felt the batsman deserved his good fortune. As well as Hales, Joe Root, Jos Buttler and Morgan himself made half-centuries.

“Hales looked very good, shaped up really well and showed a good attitude,” said Morgan. “International cricket is about managing tough times and he has come back really well.

“It’s great that all our batsmen are scoring runs at the same time, and we shouldn’t forget the contribution of Joe Root (who made 85 from 86 balls).

“We have proved we are not just a side who succeed when we chase. We have confidence and depth in our batting and we are in a commanding position in the series.”

England lead the five-match campaign 3-0 with two matches to play. The fourth game takes place at Headingley on Thursday.

Pakistan were a rabble in the field, fumbling the ball on the ground, lacking focus during the England innings and showing uncertainty with their catching.

It has placed pressure on one-day captain Azhar Ali, who admitted: “If you don’t get results, it is always difficult but as a captain and a team you need to stand up. We need to raise our performance. It’s all we can do.

“There is no excuse [for poor body language]. We didn’t start well in the field and when you have three or four fielding lapses, it doesn’t give a good message.”

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