World opne day record for England and batsman Alex Hales
The record books took a battering, where Hales (171) first delighted his home crowd by hitting England’s highest individual score and then Jos Buttler (90no) smashed their fastest 50 - from 22 balls.
Stands of 248 for the second wicket between Hales and Joe Root (85) and Buttler and Eoin Morgan’s unbroken 161 were too much for Pakistan.
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Hide AdRoyal London player of the match Alex Hales told Sky Sports 2: “It’s always a special venue with international cricket. You’re always guaranteed high-scoring games and we’ve seen another tonight.”
Hales admitted he was not aware of the record he broke at the time he broke it, adding: “No I didn’t know about it....I knew I was sort of close Jason Roy got 160-odd at the Oval and was close, so I knew I was closing in.
“I think the improvements we’ve shown in the last couple of years, I’m not sure how long that record will stand. The batting we’ve got all the way down to pretty much number 11 so it’s an exciting time for us as a team.”
On England’s world record 444 total, Hales hopes there is more to come in the near future from England as they continue to push the boundaries.
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Hide AdHe added: “It’s exciting for us as I don’t think we’ve reached our full potential yet. Hopefully there’s a lot more to come in the next two years.”
England captain Eoin Morgan praised the performances of Hales and Root, saying: “To score 171 in any from of the game - particularly a 50-over game is remarkable. He’s been hungry to get runs all summer.
“Our innings was based around that. Not undermining Joe Root’s contribution in that huge partnership that played a big part in setting the innings up for us to finish well.”