SK player of the day: Alex Hales for his record-breaking century at Trent Bridge

It was a day when records tumbled by the wayside, as England thrashed Pakistan by 169 runs in the third ODI at Trent Bridge. The hosts thus took an unassailable lead 3-0 lead in the 5-match series.

England have been a transformed ODI outfit ever since their debacle in the 2015 World Cup. However, they surpassed even themselves yesterday when they smashed the Pakistan bowlers all over the park and notched up 444 in their 50 overs.

It all started when Alex Hales decided to stamp his authority all over the game, as the opener opened all floodgates right from the outset. Hales, who has had a torrid time in the Test series came out with a clear mind on his home ground and unfurled an array of strokes. Hales spelt doom for Pakistan as he knocked off the highest score for England, a record of 167 which was previously held by Robin Smith.

He reserved his brutal best for Wahab Riaz, who was taken to the cleaners in his 10 overs. Hales smoked 44 off the 26 balls Riaz bowled at him. He also hammered captain Azhar Ali, as he boshed 19 runs from his solitary over.

Despite his lean trot in Test matches, Hales has been in prolific form in limited overs format where he has scored five consecutive fifty-plus scores against South Africa then also hit an unbeaten 133 against Sri Lanka.

"I was always confident heading into this series and it's nice to put it right tonight. The summer has had plenty of ups and downs. I did well against Sri Lanka but didn't do myself justice against Pakistan. It's nice to try and sweep that under the rug and try to move forwards", Hales said after the match.

However, this was not a flawless innings as Hales was given a reprieve on 72 when Wahab Riaz overstepped. This call was made by the TV umpire via the trial method of adjudging no ball.

The finishing touches to the innings were applied by captain Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler who bludgeoned the Pakistan players all over the park. Morgan finished with 27-ball 59 and Buttler smashed his way to a 51-ball 90.

Pakistan never got going in their chase and were reduced to 199 for 9, before Mohammad Amir joined in the fun and smashed a 22-ball 50 which is the highest score by a number 11 in One Day Internationals.

However, even after this match, Hales will not be favourites to hold on to his Test spot, but he has now established himself as a prominent and critical member of a rampant English ODI side.