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CARDIFF (Wales), June 15: England’s new one-day captain Michael Vaughan hailed a tough work-out from Wales as ideal preparation for this week’s one-day series with Pakistan.
England survived a scare at the hands of Australian Test bowler Michael Kasprowicz before pulling through to win by eight runs against a side who had inflicted an eight-wicket defeat on their big-brother neighbours last summer.
“It was a tough game in front of a lively crowd and that is exactly what we are going to get on Tuesday night against a very good Pakistan side so this was the perfect preparation,” said Vaughan.
England face Pakistan at Old Trafford, Manchester on Tuesday in the first leg of their three-match one-day series.
Vaughan’s side made 235-8 from their 50 overs before bowling out their hosts for 227 in 48.4 overs to secure a debut victory for the new captain.
A superb new-ball burst from Kasprowicz had left England reeling at 41 for four and raised hopes that Wales could be headed for a repeat of last season’s eight-wicket win over their neighbours.
But Yorkshire captain Anthony McGrath (50) and Marcus Trescothick (55) steadied the ship with a stand of 71 for the fifth wicket before Surrey all-rounder Rikki Clarke, with 46 off 47 balls, helped push England’s total to a respectable target.
Seamer David Harrison made the first breakthrough by winning a leg before appeal against Vikram Solanki in the sixth over.
That was the cue for Kasprowicz, chosen for Wales as Glamorgan’s overseas player, to claim three wickets for two runs in 11 balls.
Vaughan had won his first toss as captain but his luck did not last much longer — after making just two runs he was trapped leg before.
Jim Troughton, making his maiden senior England appearance, and Andrew Flintoff both quickly departed in identical manner without scoring and England were in deep trouble.
Wales always looked capable of overhauling the target after former England off-spinner Robert Croft, opening for his native country, battled his way to 59.
But after getting within two boundaries of their target, they ran out of wickets.
ENGLAND:
M.E. Trescothick b Croft 55
V.S. Solanki lbw b Harrison 14
M.P. Vaughan lbw b Kasprowicz 2
J.O. Troughton lbw b Kasprowicz 0
A. Flintoff lbw b Kasprowicz 0
A. McGrath c Wallace b Croft 50
R. Clarke run out 46
A.F. Giles b Jones 6
Kabir Ali not out 25
D. Gough not out 26
EXTRAS (B-6, W-4, NB-1) 11
TOTAL (for eight wkts, 50 overs) 235
FALL OF WKTS: 1-24, 2-41, 3-41, 4-44, 5-115, 6-145, 7-162, 8-193.
DID NOT BAT: J.M. Anderson.
BOWLING: Kasprowicz 10-1-38-3; Harrison 10-1-43-1; Dale 6-0-35-0; Jones 10-0-47-1; Croft 10-0-44-2; Cosker 1-0-3-0; Thomas 3-0-19-0.
WALES:
R.D.B. Croft c Gough b Giles 59
I. Thomas run out 10
M.J. Powell run out 7
M.P. Maynard lbw b Gough 9
D.L. Hemp c Solanki b Giles 38
A. Dale b Kabir Ali 25
M. Wallace c Troughton b Vaughan 12
M.S. Kasprowicz run out 15
D. Harrison c Clarke b Anderson 6
P. Jones not out 9
D.A. Cosker c Vaughan b Kabir Ali 10
EXTRAS (B-2, LB-6, W-10, NB-9) 27
TOTAL (all out, 48.4 overs) 227
FALL OF WKTS: 1-21, 2-35, 3-56, 4-138, 5-139, 6-165, 7-191, 8-203, 9-206.
BOWLING: Anderson 8-0-38-1; Gough 10-1-47-1; Flintoff 5-0-23-0; Kabir Ali 5.4-0-31-2; Giles 10-0-39-2; Vaughan 10-1-41-1.
RESULT: England won by eight runs.—AFP/Reuters
