September 11, 2006	Monday	Sha'aban 17, 1427

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BIRMINGHAM, Sept 10: Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer admitted here on Sunday that the extraordinary length of the tour as well as ball-tampering row at The Oval had caught up with his side as they ended the one-day series on a losing note. The tourists were 2-0 up before losing on Friday at Trent Bridge and on Sunday at Edgbaston to share the series.

"Coming back from a hectic Test series and a terrible week of controversy to play so well in four games - including the Twenty20 - took a lot of energy and it finally petered out," Woolmer said. "There was no fuel left in the tank - it's been a big emotional drain."

Woolmer's men could only manage 154-9 before England reached their target with 19 overs to spare, albeit for the loss of seven wickets.

Woolmer also felt that the toss was crucial, with the conditions more helpful to the seamers in the early part of the day. "It was tougher to bat in the morning than the afternoon," Woolmer added. "Saying that, we bowled beautifully and when suddenly we had a bit of a sniff of getting England out, the boys showed what they can do in those situations."

Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq insisted credit should go to the hosts for their fightback. "We are disappointed because we had a pretty good chance to win the series," he said. "We played well in the Twenty20 and the first three one-dayers but failed to continue that. But we're not going to make excuses and say we were tired after a long tour - England played the better cricket in the last two games."—Agencies