|
|
| August 31, 2006 | Thursday | Sha'aban 6, 1427 |
Shoaib Akhtar, Asif restrict England in first ODI
CARDIFF (Wales), Aug 30: Pakistan fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar took six wickets between them as England were dismissed for a modest 202 in the first One-day International at Sophia Gardens on Wednesday.
Ian Bell's career-best 88 was the only individual England score above James Dalrymple's 27 after they lost the toss in this day/night match, the opening fixture in a five-match series.
Asif finished with three for 28 off a maximum 10 overs and Shoaib Akhtar, who returned to international action after a stress fracture of the left ankle in Pakistan's five-wicket Twenty20 win against England at Bristol on Monday, three for 45 off 10.
The covers then came on as rain fell with England needing a good performance in the field to record only their fifth win in 20 One-day Internationals.
Bell shared stands of 57 with Paul Collingwood (14) and 68 with Dalrymple but Pakistan rarely lost their grip on an innings where it needed a last-wicket stand of 29 between Darren Gough and One-day International debutant Stuart Broad to take England past 200.
Asif ripped through England's top order with a spell of three wickets for 12 runs in 26 balls.
England captain Andrew Strauss, who might have been out twice before he was dismissed, exited for two when he top-edged a legside pick-up shot off and Shahid Afridi at square leg took the simple catch.
England lost their second wicket when Marcus Trescothick, their other left-handed opener, on 16 gave himself room to square-cut but only succeeded in edging the ball through to wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal.
Bell, trying to thrash Rana Naved through the offside on nine, got a thick edge behind where second slip Younis Khan dropped the sharp two-handed chance above his head.
Asif, spotting Kevin Pietersen advancing down the pitch, bowled a bouncer which hit the South Africa-born batsman.
Next ball Asif cleverly bowled a full-length delivery which cut away off the pitch and Pietersen got an edge which was well caught by the diving Kamran.
Asif had dismissed the hard-hitting Pietersen for just two to leave England 51 for three inside 14 overs.
After a spell of 8-3-19-3, Asif was replaced by Abdul Razzaq, who came close to having Collingwood lbw for 13.
Then a single off leg-spinner Afridi took Bell to a 71-ball fifty with nine fours.
Two balls later though Collingwood was plumb lbw for 13 to an Afridi ball that turned back into him, England 99 for four at the half-way stage.
Bell had a reprieve on 68 when Afridi dropped a low caught and bowled chance off a well-hit drive but Pakistan were choking off England's supply of runs.
They then had a purple patch of three wickets for one run in eight balls.
Bell, 12 runs short of his hundred, pushed Shoaib Akhtar onto the onside but was run out by Afridi's direct hit from mid-on having faced 117 balls with 12 fours.
Next ball 166 for five became 166 for six when Dalrymple was clean bowled by the 'Rawalpindi Express'.
Wicket-keeper Chris Read (nought) chipped a return catch back to off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez before Rikki Clarke, in his first One-day International for over two years, was yorked by Shoaib Akhtar for six.
The innings ended with four balls to spare when Gough, returning after more than a year out at this level, holed out to Afridi for 18.
Scoreboard
ENGLAND:
M.E. Trescothick c Kamran b Asif 16
A.J. Strauss c Afridi b Asif 2
I.R. Bell run out 88
K.P. Pietersen c Kamran b Asif 2
P.D. Collingwood lbw b Afridi 14
J.W.M. Dalrymple b Shoaib Akhtar 27
R. Clarke c Shoaib Malik b Shoaib Akhtar 6
C.M.W. Read c and b Hafeez 0
S.I. Mahmood b Shoaib Akhtar 1
D. Gough c Shoaib Malik b Afridi 18
S.C.J. Broad not out 8
EXTRAS (LB-5, W-10, NB-5) 20
TOTAL (all out, 49.2 overs) 202
FALL OF WKTS: 1-14, 2-35, 3-51, 4-98, 5-166, 6-166, 7-167, 8-173, 9-173.
BOWLING: Shoaib Akhtar 10-1-45-3 (3nb, 2w); Mohammad Asif 10-3-28-3 (2w); Rana Naved-ul-Hasan 7-0-43-0 (3w); Abdul Razzaq 4-1-10-0 (1nb); Shahid Afridi 8.2-0-38-2 (1nb, 1w); Mohammad Hafeez 10-0-33-1 (2w).
PAKISTAN: Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif.
UMPIRES: I.J. Gould (England) and B.R. Doctrove (West Indies).
TV UMPIRE: M.R. Benson (England).
MATCH REFEREE: M.J. Procter (South Africa).—AFP
|
|
