Jason Roy inspires England to victory against Pakistan in first one-day international

Jason Roy powered England to victory against Pakistan in the first one-day international at the Ageas Bowl. The in-form Surrey batsman struck a belligerent 65 from 56 balls as the hosts won the rain-affected game by 44 runs.

Earlier in the day, under bright blue skies in Southampton, Pakistan captain Azhar Ali won the toss and opted to bat first. Following the early losses of Sharjeel Khan and Mohammad Hafeez, the skipper united with Babar Azam (40) and the dynamic Sarfraz Ahmed (55) to put Pakistan in a strong position.

However, a mid-innings rain interruption and two wickets from leg-spinner Adil Rashid irreversibly changed the game in England's favour. Ali (82) was one of Rashid's victims and the away side ultimately limped towards an under-par total of 260/6.

And that underwhelming score was quickly put into context by Roy, who raced out of the blocks despite losing his opening partner Alex Hales early on and then suffering a bout of dizziness. The talented right-hander struck six boundary fours and a six as England got themselves well ahead of the required rate.

Roy - who was badly dropped by wicket-keeper Ahmed - ultimately fell trying to hit Mohammad Nawaz over the long-off boundary. But Joe Root produced another typically assured performance to score 61 off 72, giving the rest of England's fearsome batting line-up a straightforward equation to win.

Another rain shower meant England required a meagre 59 runs off 14 overs with seven wickets remaining under the floodlights. Just three more balls were played before the rain returned and the hosts were handed victory via the Duckworth-Lewis method.