The tourists all seem to perfectly understand their roles - which the Analyst argues should be enough to wrap up a 3-1 victory over Pakistan on Friday
There was a cool competence about the way that England played in Sharjah.
They did not fret over Pakistan making a solid start and setting a good platform for a decent score.
Instead, they lay like predators in the long grass, waiting for their prey to trip up.
When they did, they pounced by taking advantage of three silly run outs.
Then, the England batting – after a stuttering start – coped expertly with the tricky conditions and hustled the team to an excellent win.
Pakistan’s total on Tuesday was, of course, woefully inadequate.
Sharjah was once a hotbed of match fixing where much that happened on the field seemed suspicious, and the 209 all out that they stumbled to was reminiscent of those bad old days.
However, rather than corrupt, their batting on Tuesday was just plain crass – in spite of healthy home support.
There will be more of the same on Friday – which counts as a weekend in Dubai – where Pakistan’s batting is bound to be better.
But there can be no denying that those run outs witnessed in the third ODI are a sign of insecurity and uncertainty, and there is far more coherence to this – albeit inexperienced – England team.
You feel that each player already knows and understands their role.
The openers Alex Hales and Jason Roy complement each other well. Joe Root is assured and consistent. Eoin Morgan is vastly experienced and reliable. James Taylor is an energising breeze in the middle order and Jos Buttler is starting to find his feet again.
The England bowlers, meanwhile, are very steady – you always know what you are going to get from them.
Chris Woakes – someone who seems to cop more than his fair share of flak – has taken eight wickets in the last two games and handles the job of bowling the last few overs of the innings with great equanimity thanks to his good control and variety.
David Willey and Reece Topley have quickly acquired the art of restrictive bowling on these dead surfaces and Moeen Ali turned in a fine spell on Tuesday, too.
Adil Rashid, however, has been expensive.
Barring injuries, England will play the same team tomorrow which always helps with consistency and self-belief.
Pakistan, on the other hand, will inevitably make changes as they invariably do and England can prey on that instability.
Dubai has been a relatively low-scoring ground for ODIs during the last few years, with sides struggling to get much beyond 250.
It does, however, seem to get easier batting under lights – with five of the last six ODIs here being won by the team batting second.
Expect England to show their superiority and unity to take the series 3-1.
Pakistan v England fourth ODI betting
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