DUBAI, Nov 21: Jos Buttler hit the fastest one-day hundred by an Englishman to guide England to an 84-run win over Pakistan in the fourth and final day-night international in Dubai last night for a 3-1 series triumph.
Buttler�s 52-ball 116 not out � his hundred coming off just 46 deliveries � coupled with a maiden century by opener Jason Roy lifted England to an imposing 355-5 before Pakistan were bowled out for 271 in 40.4 overs.
The win gave England their second series win since the World Cup disaster earlier this year where they failed to qualify for the quarter-finals.
They also beat New Zealand 3-2 at home but lost to Australia by the same margin.
Pakistan won the first match of the four-game series by six wickets while England took the second by 95 runs and the third by six wickets.
Pakistan needed to improve upon their best-ever run chase � 327 against Bangladesh in March last year � but despite good knocks from Babar Azam (51 off 51 balls), Shoaib Malik (34-ball 52) and skipper Azhar Ali (44 off 32 balls) they fell short.
Mohammad Hafeez made 37 and Anwar Ali 24 as spinners Moeen Ali (3-53), Adil Rashid (3-78) and seamer David Willey (2-34) took wickets at regular intervals to stop Pakistan from pulling out a series-levelling win.
Azam and Hafeez added 65 for the third wicket while Azam added 47 for the fourth with Malik but that was never enough to overhaul a stiff target.
It was Buttler who stole the limelight ahead of Roy.
Buttler smashed medium-pacer Anwar for his eighth six to complete his third one-day century off just 46 balls � also the joint-seventh fastest one-day hundred � to help England score 129 in the final ten overs.
SCORECARD
England: J Roy c Malik b Shah 102, A Hales c Malik b Irfan 22, J Root st Ahmed b Ali 71, J Buttler not out 116, E Morgan st Ahmed b Ali 14, J Taylor c Shehzad b Irfan 13, M Ali not out 4. Extras: (lb-4, nb-1, w-8) 13. Total (For 5 wkts; 50 overs) 355. Fall of wickets: 1-54, 2-194, 3-201, 4-227, 5-306. Bowling: Irfan 10-0-64-2, Anwar 9-0-75-0, Riaz 9-0-70-0, Shah 10-0-57-1, Malik 7-0-59-0, Ali 5-0-26-2
Pakistan: Azhar Ali c and b Willey 44, Ahmed Shehzad c Ali b Willey 13, Mohammad Hafeez run out 37, Babar Azam c Hales b Rashid 51, Shoaib Malik c Hales b Topley 52, Mohammad Rizwan c Buttler b Rashid 11, Sarfraz Ahmed c Willey b Rashid 24, Anwar Ali c Adil b Ali 24, Wahab Riaz c and b Ali 1, Yasir Shah c Woakes b Ali 5, Mohammad Irfan not out 0. Extras: (lb2, w7) 9. Total: (all out; 40.4 overs) 271. Fall of wickets: 1-45, 2-64, 3-129, 4-176, 5-194, 6-228, 7-249, 8-259, 9-271, 10-271. Bowling: Willey 6-0-34-2, Topley 7-0-58-1, Woakes 8-1-46-0, Moeen 9.4-0-53-3, Rashid 10-0-78-3. � AFP
