England (237-2) bt Pakistan by 8 wickets (235-8)

England ended their eight-game sequence without a one-day win at Trent Bridge last night, beating Pakistan by eight wickets with 22 balls to spare. Ian Bell provided the main plank with an unbeaten 86, though England's captain, Andrew Strauss, was instrumental in giving his team a good start with a fine 78.


Bell really has blossomed as a batsman this summer, in both forms of the game. A career best 88 in the rained-off game in Cardiff last week, will have been pretty satisfying, though yesterday's knock, contributing as it did to a rare England win, will have trumped it.

Batting under lights is no mean feat at Trent Bridge, where white balls, like the local werewolves, tend to do strange things at night. Yet it might have been easier still for England had Abdul Razzaq not ruined the good work by England's bowlers earlier in the piece, with a ferocious 75 off 72 balls, that included five sixes in the last two overs of Pakistan's innings.

Although twice put down by Strauss at slip off Michael Yardy before he had reached 10, Razzaq's firestorm ensured Pakistan reached 235, a score they could only fantasise about when they were 117 for six. But then fantasy is what Razzaq tends to deal in when he bats and England had been forewarned of his striking abilities after he made 51 off 22 balls against them in a one-day international at Karachi during the winter.

The game was not without controversy, something of a given between the sides these days. Once again, Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was involved, this time incorrectly claiming a catch off his opposite number, Strauss, who was on five when he edged Mohammad Asif to first slip.

Strauss went on to play with great authority and spirit, especially against the pace bowlers. His determination has always been a feature of his batting, though perhaps sensing a split among the selectors over whether he or Andrew Flintoff should captain the winter tours, he seemed extra focused yesterday.

England's recent one-day form has counted against him in some circles, and he was clearly not about to pass up the chance to improve it, if only by a sliver. Unfortunately for him, he did not see matters through to their conclusion, getting bogged down to the spinners before being bowled behind his legs for 78, sweeping at one of Mohammad Hafeez's off-breaks.

His dismissal, preceded by Ed Joyce's departure in the 10th over, was not capitalised upon by Pakistan, though they did bring Kevin Pietersen's bogey bowler, Mohammad Asif, into the attack straightaway. He bowled some beauties too, but with Bell still ticking over nicely, he was able to play himself in, finishing with 41 as England romped home.

If the batsmen finished things off, it was England's bowlers who prepared the path to victory – no mean feat after their torrid summer in the one-day game.

Yardy, who took three for 24 on his international debut, was the pick but only after an early strike by John Lewis with the new ball set Pakistan on their heels.

With Yardy one of two spinners picked, England's think-tank read the conditions well, though the lack of any intelligent bowling at the end of the innings as Pakistan thrashed 69 runs from the last four overs (47 off the final two), remains a concern.

Lewis is an old-fashioned bowler purveying the old-fashioned qualities of line and length. When he gets a bit of outswing and bounce, as he did yesterday after Pakistan had won the toss and decided to bat, his 78mph is rendered as lethal as anything in the high 80s.

As he did in the Test match against Sri Lanka here in June, at least in the first innings, Lewis found a good rhythm. When a bowler feels the force, reputation counts for nothing, as Younis Khan found out.

The scourge of England's bowlers in this one-day series, Younis fell for a duck after being drawn into nibbling at an outswinger.

When Shahid Afridi followed, lbw to Mahmood, Pakistan were 41 for three and in need of urgent repair.

That was duly provided by Inzamam and Mohammad Yousuf, their combination of soft hands and a deft touch drawing swing's sting enough to add 74 runs, before they succumbed to the spin of Yardy and Jamie Dalrymple.

At this point England would have been eyeing an easy win. However, they had clearly forgotten about Razzaq.

Employing a method that sees him get his front leg out of the way (something that frees up the swing of the bat), but retaining enough balance to hit balls of any length or line, he simply hit his team back into the match.

Telegraph UK

The NatWest Series
Edgbaston
Pakistan 154-9 Innings Complete v England 155-7
England beat Pakistan by 3 wkts

England survived a couple of wobbles to level the NatWest Series 2-2 against Pakistan at Edgbaston.

The hosts eventually prevailed by three wickets, having restricted Pakistan to just 154-9 from their 50 overs, but then struggled over the line as wickets fell quickly in their reply.

But Sajid Mahmood, who starred with the ball, and Michael Yardy kept a cool head, sharing in an unbeaten eighth-wicket stand of 37 to see their side home and avoid a fifth successive one-day series defeat.

Having won an important toss, Andrew Strauss' side looked set for a comfortable victory but the Pakistan bowlers reduced the home side to 118-7 before Mahmood and Yardy settled the nerves.

The reply got off to a flying start courtesy of Strauss as the skipper cracked a flurry of boundaries before falling for 35 from just 41 deliveries.

The Middlesex man was the third player out following Ed Joyce, who left a straight one from Mohammad Asif, and Ian Bell, who found Imran Farhat at gully off Asif again.

But there looked to be no problems as Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood steadied the ship following the dismissals of Strauss and Bell in successive deliveries.

Pietersen dominated the bowlers and smacked four boundaries off one Iftikhar Anjum over before playing a poor shot to Shahid Afridi and he was bowled for 34 from 33 balls.

Three balls later Jamie Dalrymple followed, trapped leg-before by the spinner and, just four runs later Collingwood, making his 100th one-day international appearance, was back in the pavilion after being caught in front of his stumps by Abdul Razzaq.

Chris Read was the next to go, with the score on 118, as he was snapped up by Rana Naved at long leg after misjudging a hook off Razzaq.

That brought Mahmood and Yardy, playing in just his second international, together and slowly they inched towards the target.

One over from Naved cost 13 runs as Mahmood broke loose and Yardy hit the winning runs to secure a second straight win.

Earlier the Pakistan effort got off to a promising start on a tricky pitch with a stand of 43 between Mohammad Hafeez and Farhat, the highest opening partnership by the tourists in the series.

But three wickets, for just eight runs, in three overs rocked the visitors and put England in control.

First Farhat fell thanks to a quick bit of thinking from wicketkeeper Read, who threw the ball between his legs to run out the left-hander after he had almost played on and was then far too casual in getting back to the crease.

Afridi went four runs later, missing at a wild lunge and seeing his stumps broken by the impressive Jon Lewis and then Hafeez got a bottom edge to Man of the Match Mahmood with the score on just 51.

The Lancashire paceman added a second scalp when he dismissed Mohammad Yousuf, caught well at slip by skipper Strauss and the tourists were five down when Inzamam-ul-Haq was trapped leg before to Collingwood.

The Durham all-rounder struck again with the score on 91 to grab his 50th wicket in the one-day international arena as Razzaq, who crashed a quickfire 75 at Trent Bridge, was bowled through the gate.

Kamran Akmal did not last long, snapped up well by Read off Yardy and Dalrymple got in on the act with the wicket of Naved after the Pakistan bowler chopped one on to his stumps.

Only Younis Khan, who was later named Man of the Series, made a telling contribution with 47 from 80 balls and he was the ninth man to fall when top-edging a reverse sweep to Joyce at third man to give Dalrymple a second wicket.

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