Stokes sees stuttering England to Pakistan series win

Ben Stokes's unbeaten 71 rescued England from a top-order collapse as the World Cup hosts and favourites beat Pakistan by three wickets with three balls to spare at Trent Bridge.

Friday's win in a floodlit match saw England secure the series at 3-0 up with one to play, but it was far from routine.

England were cruising to a target of 341 at 201 for one when Jason Roy's dismissal for 114 sparked a collapse that saw three wickets lost for seven runs in 10 balls.

And when Moeen Ali was out for a duck, England were 216 for five.

But Stokes steadied the ship and with No 8 Tom Curran (31) got England back on track in a stand of 61.

Curran, pushing for a place in England's final 15-man World Cup squad, had already taken four for 75 in Pakistan's 340 for seven.

This was a modest score at Trent Bridge, where England have twice set the record for the highest one-day international total, with last year's 481 for six against Australia following their 444 for three against Pakistan in 2016.

- 'Got there in the end' -
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"But then the boys came in and finished it off extremely well."
"It was definitely tough luck for us after we put runs on the board," he said. "But unfortunately our bowling execution was not up to the mark and we didn't field well."