Pak need to stop playing too many dot balls, insists Azhar Ali

After going down one-nil in the five-match ODI series against England, Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali has called on his players to stop playing too many dot balls, as they did in their opening match, in order to avoid further defeats in the upcoming matches.

After Pakistan posted a below-par target of 261 runs, England were seen cruising towards victory at a great pace as they scored 194-3 in just 34.3 overs before rain intervened the match in Southampton.

Eoin Morgan's side, however, were well ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis method as they posted a comfortable 44-run victory over Pakistan.

Besides poor batting performance from the Pakistani side, the match also saw some poor fielding that included a dropped catch by wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed.

Admitting that his side did not perform as per their standard, Azhar observed that they failed to bowl well in good areas and went too short in the beginning which allowed the England openers to score quick runs.

Following the match, Pakistan received flurry of criticism for consuming too many dot balls, with former skipper Rashid Latif admitting that his country's performance looked extremely weak in comparison to the English side.

Echoing similar views, Azhar said that his side could have avoided playing too many dot balls at the start of the match and could have made a better finish, the Express Tribune reported.

Azhar, however, justified his own slow 82-run knock, saying that one of the top-order batsmen need to stay out there in the middle and play for the long haul.

Pakistan will play the second ODI against England at Lord's on Saturday.