Darren Hawkins: Hales and Roy have five 50 partnerships in 12 games - how are people complaining? Good platforms despite their averages.

Still plenty of people milling around outside the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, where one little ticket booth is doing a roaring trade. Also doing a roaring trade is the Roy-Hales combination, labelled as one-day sloggers by some but they've played the conditions really well today. Two singles from Yasir's fourth over.

Jarleth Eaton: Very surprised people criticised Hales after one bad innings. Fantastic start from him and Roy today.

James Vigar: Given their lack of game time and alien conditions these two are doing very nicely thank you.

Another bowling change as Pakistan search for a much-needed breakthrough. After just two overs from Wahab, it's over to off-spinner Shoaib Malik, bowling round the wicket to the right-handed Hales. The gangly Irfan opts to stop the ball with one of his big boots - a method beloved of village cricketers around the world - while Roy gets lucky as he plays and misses and an off-break misses the off bail by a whisker. Fortune continues to favour the Surrey man as he slog-sweeps his sixth four. He's overtaken his partner again, although Hales nicks the strike with a single.

Ebony Rainford-Brent
Ex-England batter on BBC Test Match Special

"What England are doing really well is to be a little bit measured. There have been a lot of punchy shots, from two players who normally like to let their hands go through the ball."

Yasir delivers another wide, what happened to the mystery spinner from the Tests? Roy and Hales continue to milk him for singles without too much concern.

Andrew Strauss, England's director of cricket, has denied that players will be allowed to miss Tests to play in the Indian Premier League or Big Bash.

The Telegraph reported, external that players would be given permission to skip Tests as they aim to improve their limited-overs cricket.

But Strauss said, via the ECB Twitter account:, external "I can’t foresee any circumstances in which we would weaken our Test team in order to allow a player to play in the IPL or or any other franchise-based competition.

"This is about striking the right balance in the long-term between red and white-ball cricket and giving players greater opportunities to improve in both formats."

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Riaz pings a bouncer down the leg side, Pakistan appeal for a catch behind but umpire Chris Gaffaney's response is to signal a wide. Charles Dagnall on TMS heard a noise, but Pakistan decide against a review - it looked to have brushed the batsman's hip. And having seen England call for the worst DRS review in the history of cricket on Wednesday (appealing for lbw when it hit the middle of the bat), the hosts opt against using their only review. Steady from England, both batsmen have 29.

JoElle: Can't see how 40 off 54 balls is a problem. Especially as it's a new ball. T20 has distorted expectations.

Wahab Riaz produced one of 2015's most gripping duels in international cricket at the start of this year when he bowled an extremely hostile spell to Shane Watson at the World Cup, and Roy opts to sway away from a snorter from the left-armer, but then finds the gap to squeeze a two to third man where some good relay fielding on the rope cuts off the boundary.

Kevin Howells
BBC Test Match Special

"That's Roy and Hales's fifth 50 partnership in the 12 innings they've had together so far."

As if to confound theories on Pakistan's fielding, Hales gets down on one knee to sweep Yasir, and Irfan at short fine leg can't get down in time to make a regulation stop, and it's another four for the Notts right-hander. (To be fair to the big guy, at 7ft 1in, it must take longer to get down and do a long barrier, I'd imagine). Hales then guides the leg-spinner for four through the covers to bring up the fifty stand. Moving up through the gears, he has 28 from 30 balls, Roy has 22 from 30. They've shared out the strike very fairly.

Mark Hefter: Four 4s in first 28 balls is fine for Roy, 4 runs in other 24 shows the issue and lack of rotation which will impact on Hales.

Pakistan's fielding - historically, never their strongest cricketing suit - was impressive on Wednesday, and again today some of these men in green are throwing themselves around the field as though their futures depend on it.. although just as I type that, Roy benefits from an unearned single as backward point somehow lets the ball evade him.

Ebony Rainford-Brent
Ex-England batter on BBC Test Match Special

"Hales is playing a dangerous game. He's flashing away from his body, he hasn't moved his feet well at all."

Close!published at 8.1 overs

8.1 overs

Eng 38-0

In fact, it's a double change as Wahab Riaz replaces fellow left-arm speedster Mohammad Irfan - and Hales gets a thick edge off his first ball, the slip fielder gets a finger to it but can't stop the ball disappearing for four. Ouch.

Ebony Rainford-Brent
Ex-England batter on BBC Test Match Special

"It's a good move from Pakistan to bring Yasir on straight away. These two like pace on the ball, and they're inexperienced against this sort of bowling in these conditions. But that reverse-sweep shows Roy's confidence, and that's good to see."

Pakistan make their first bowling change - it's leg-spinner Yasir Shah, so effective in the Tests, into the attack for an early twirl. Roy responds with a reverse sweep that nearly flies over backward point for six! Extraordinary shot. Yasir spins down a legside wide to advance the score.

Vic Marks
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"I don't think England will be worried about the run rate. They know that if this pair stay in, they can cause a bit of mayhem."