LONDON: England batsman Joe Root played a well-crafted knock to lead England to victory in the second of the five-match One Day International series at Lord’s, London on Saturday. The middle-order batsman faced 105 balls to score 89 runs and power England’s pursuit of 252 runs, smashing five boundaries. England skipper Eoin Morgan also scored 68 off 80 balls while all-rounder Ben Stokes contributed 42 runs to help the hosts gain a 2-0 series advantage over Pakistan. Root, who bats at the one-down slot, brought up his fifty in the 21st over which brightened the hosts’ chances of winning after stuttering earlier on. Slow-left-arm bowler Imad Wasim was the pick of Pakistan bowlers, bagging two wickets and conceding 38 runs in the seven overs he bowled Pakistan left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir struck on the second ball of the England innings to clean-bowl Jason Roy, who was the host’s highest run-scorer in the first ODI at Southampton. The Three Lions received another blow at the end of the eighth over as they lost Alex Hales. The 27-year-old, boasting ODI average of over 70 in the ongoing calender year, was castled by Imad in an attempt to slog the ball towards the on-side. England were 134 for two in 27-overs as the unbeaten partnership between Root and Morgan stretched to 99. England were 111 for two at the 23-over mark. Earlier, Pakistan managed 251 before getting all-out on the penultimate ball against England due to terrific lower middle-order contributions by Sarfraz Ahmed and Imad. Sarfraz, who went on to become only Pakistani keeper to score a century in England, was joined by Imad to post a fighting total when the tourists struggled at five down for 125. The Karachi-born keeper walked into the middle when Pakistan were in tatters as their top-three had fallen for just two runs. Making his comeback into the ODI side after 16 months, Sami Aslam was the first batsman to throw away his wicket as he attempted a pull-shot on Chris Woakes’ short-pitched delivery, going down the leg-side. Given not-out initially, Aslam (1 off 10) walked back to the pavilion, after English captain Eoin Morgan reviewed umpire Marais Erasmus’ decision that unveiled ball tickling the left-hander’s glove on its way to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler’s hands. Sharjeel Khan (0 off 2) followed his opening partner back to the pavilion just four balls later, as Mark Wood’s scorching off-cutter sent the 27-year-old’s off-stump cart wheeling, reducing Pakistan to two for two in 2.2-overs. Tourists’ skipper Azhar Ali, whose 82 at Southampton in the first ODI was succeeded by a duck, fell five balls later to Woakes’ remarkable good-length delivery that moved just enough to clip the 31-year-old’s bat on its way to the English wicketkeeper. With Pakistan struggling at two for three in just 19 ball, Sarfraz and Babar Azam withered the storm with a mature 64-run stand for the fourth wicket. Azam, who contributed 30 to the crucial partnership, fell to Liam Plunkett’s yorker. The right-handed batsman hit five fours in 33 balls before he played on. Sarfraz, who rotated the strike throughout his 130-ball knock, had scored 49 at 81 when Azam fell. However, Sarfraz continued to anchor Pakistan’s fightback, as he put up two more fifty-plus stands with Shoaib Malik and Imad Wasim, the latter contributing the most. The sixth wicket stand of 77 runs from 99 balls between Sarfraz and Wasim, which ended with former’s wicket, turned out to be the best of the innings. Sarfraz, whose 105 had just 22 per cent runs from boundaries, fell in the 43rd over when Pakistan were 202 after scoring his career’s second ODI century. However, Wasim took the reign, upping his scoring rate towards the end. His handy 63 not out of 70 balls included five fours and a six over third-man boundary off Plunkett.