Shoaib Akhtar set up Pakistan’s seven-wicket win over England in the second one-day international at Lord’s in London on Saturday as the tourists went 1-0 up in the five-match series.
Akhtar finished with four for 28 from his permitted eight overs, while his miserly new-ball partner Mohammad Asif took two for 10, also in eight overs.
England, in a match reduced by rain to 40 overs per side, were bowled out for 166.
Pakistan, in gathering gloom, finished on 169 for three as they won with 20 balls to spare.
Mohammad Yousuf made a patient 49 not out, while Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq — who played some sublime shots despite the worsening light — was unbeaten on 42 off 26 balls with five fours. The duo’s unbroken stand was worth 61.
Victory was no more than Pakistan deserved after they had had the better of Wednesday’s washed-out opener in Cardiff where Akhtar took three wickets. Akhtar had, until this week, been out of international cricket for six months with an ankle injury.
But despite taking four or more wickets in a one-day international for the ninth time, the man of the match insisted there is more to come from the ”Rawalpindi Express”.
”I’ve been lucky enough to get a few wickets but I’m not there yet,” the 31-year-old Akhtar said. ”I’m trying to get there as soon as possible. I’m talking about pace and fitness.
”I’ve missed cricket [through injury], but not my practice, and I’ve been out in the gym five days a week working really hard on my fitness and bowling.”
An elated Inzamam added: ”Shoaib’s bowling with the new ball was lovely -his pace, his swing, everything is there.”
Defeat was England’s eighth in as many completed one-day matches this season after they lost Twenty20s at home to Sri Lanka and Pakistan as well as going down 5-0 in a one-day series against the Sri Lankans.
One consolation, ahead of Tuesday’s day-night clash at the Rose Bowl, was the form of recalled Gloucestershire seamer Jon Lewis. In for the dropped Sajid Mahmood, Lewis dismissed openers Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik on his way to figures of two for 11 in eight overs.
”It was probably a bad toss to lose today, but credit to Pakistan, they put the ball in the right areas and with 166 on the board it was always hard work,” said England captain Andrew Strauss, who fell first ball to Akhtar for nought. ”I think it’s a bit easier when you’re chasing 166 but Jon Lewis was magnificent.”
Younis Khan’s 55 kept Pakistan on course before he holed out off paceman Rikki Clarke to Kevin Pietersen at deep mid-wicket after a stand of 78 with Yousuf had taken the tourists to 108 for three in the 28th over.
But with Pakistan 32 for two, Younis on 15 edged Lewis to wicketkeeper Chris Read only for Billy Doctrove, one of the umpires who controversially declared Pakistan had forfeited the fourth Test at The Oval last month, to call no-ball. Replays suggested it was a tight decision at best. But from then on, Younis’s ”escape” apart, they were rarely troubled.
Excluding Lewis, England’s all-seam attack conceded 153 runs in 28,4 overs.
Veteran quick Darren Gough especially had a match to forget, his eight wicketless overs costing 44 runs.
Earlier, England were indebted to a career-best 39 from all-rounder Clarke. Together with Read (30), he put on 53 in 57 balls for the seventh wicket after England had slumped to 113 for six.
With the World Cup just six months away, Pakistan would have been heartened by the sight of Akhtar — who missed the whole of England’s recent 3-0 Test series win — bowling at 144kph and returning a fine first spell of 6-0-13-2.
As well as dismissing Strauss, he had Ian Bell taken by first slip Inzamam for nine to leave England deep in trouble at 18 for three. Akhtar then came back to clean up Clarke before bowling Gough with a thunderbolt yorker. — Sapa-AFP