England opener Alex Hales has expressed his relief after scoring his first-ever century in one-day international cricket.
The Nottinghamshire man hit 109 off 117 balls for his maiden ton at the 21st attempt to lead England to a first-innings total of 283-5 in the second ODI against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.
"It's a great feeling after 20-odd games at the top of the order," Hales told Sky Sports News. "It's quite a long to wait and I'm pleased to finally get there."
Hales's score helped England reach 227-2 heading into the final 10 overs, but Pakistan's bowlers, led by Wahab Riaz, dominated the closing stages as the tourists only managed to add 56 runs with eight wickets to play with.
"Once the ball got a little bit older, we saw how hard it was to score at the end there. If we can stick to our plans, we should be able to defend [the lead]," he added.
If England can claim victory, they will level the four-game series at 1-1.
Pascal Lemesre
