English cricket team in Pakistan in 2005-06
Encyclopedia
England
failed to chase a target of under 200 runs for the first time since the fourth Test of the 1998-99 Ashes
,, as Danish Kaneria
and Shoaib Akhtar
shared seven wickets to bowl England out in three spurts at Multan. Pakistan
took their first victory over England at home since 1987-88, despite surrendering a first-innings lead of 144 and setting a target of 198 - and England were even 64 for 1 chasing that target. However, Kaneria removed Andrew Strauss
and Ian Bell in the same over, before Paul Collingwood
was lbw
to Mohammad Sami
in the next. England had gone from 64 for 1 to 67 for 4 - Andrew Flintoff
and Kevin Pietersen
added 26, before Kaneria struck again, as Flintoff swept him to Younis Khan. Eventually, they were 117 for 7, before Shaun Udal
came in and added 49 with Geraint Jones
- and then, Shoaib Akhtar
bowled
Jones for 33, leaving England to hit 33 for the last two wickets. Udal and Steve Harmison
went in quick succession, and England finished on 175. Despite the efforts of the bowlers, it was Salman Butt
who became Man of the Match, as his 122 in the second innings enabled Pakistan to set a target.
in particular punishing England's bowlers. After the first day, Pakistan had reached 300/4. The second day of the test contains a few dramatic incidents. Inzamam-ul-Haq
was run out in controversial circumstances - he was adjudged to have his foot in the air while avoiding a direct shy at the stumps by Stephen Harmison. The laws of cricket
state a player should not be given out if he is taking evasive action to avoid injury.
After Pakistan were bowled out for 462, England began their reply. The next incident occurred when a gas canister exploded within the ground, damaging the boundary hoarding and some spectators nearby. Play was halted for around 15 minutes until authorities determined it was safe to continue. However, television footage subsequently showed that Shahid Afridi
had deliberately scuffed up the wicket during this distraction - an action for which he was subsequently fined, and banned for 1 test match and 2 one day internationals.
After this distraction, England lost 2 quick wickets to end the day of 113/3. They recovered on day 3 through the efforts of Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen
who both scored centuries. England were eventually bowled out for 446, and their bowlers made an improved effort in Pakistan's second innings, reducing them to 183/6 by the end of day 4. They could think about a possible victory, but Inzamam-ul-Haq
was still at the wicket going into day 5.
Pakistan declared after Inzamam got his century, shortly before lunch on the fifth day, and in the sixth over they fell to 20 for four. However, Kevin Pietersen
and Andrew Flintoff
added 80 in 22 overs for the fifth wicket, and Geraint Jones
and Ashley Giles
held on for the draw.
England won the toss and chose to bat – and after a useful start where the openers put on 101, they were then regularly pegged back by Pakistan to end the day on 248/6. Criticism was levelled at the English batsmen for getting out to some injudicious shots. The use of the sweep shot came in for particular attention, as 5 batsmen lost their wicket attempting such a shot. Despite a battling 96 by Paul Collingwood
, England were bowled out for 288.
Pakistan initially struggled in their reply, losing two very early wickets to be 12/2 at lunch on day 2, and they lost their 3rd wicket before the score reached 100. However, Inzamam-ul-Haq
continued his dominance over England’s attack, and only left the crease due to a hand injury. Mohammad Yousuf also built on his good form, and profited from being dropped on 16. In fact, he would eventually bat through the entire third day, which was an awful one for England where their only success was the wicket of the nightwatchman, Shoaib Akhtar
, and that was only after he had made a score of 38.
Mohammad Yousuf and Kamran Akmal
put on 269 runs for the 5th wicket, with Yousuf scoring a career best 223. Akmal scored 154 which was also a career best. England then faced the daunting prospect of the return of Inzamam after his injury, returning to resume his innings nearly 2 days after he had left the crease. Inzamam returned to play some expansive strokes with the lower order, and accelerate the scoring to an extent that it would be impossible for England to win the game. He was eventually run out on 97 just before lunch on the 4th day, and he immediately declared his side’s innings on an enormous 636/8.
England by this point were shattered, withdrawn and dispirited. Although Paul Collingwood
and Ian Bell produced a determined rearguard effort in the second innings, putting on 175 for the 3rd wicket, England would not be able to bat out the match. They slumped from 205/3 to 248 all out, to lose the match by an innings and 100 runs. Danish Kaneria
and Shoaib Akhtar
were the stand out bowlers involved in the collapse, recording figures of 4/52 and 5/71 respectively.
Pakistan and their supporters were delighted with such a convincing victory over a side who had recently triumphed over Australia. England, on the other hand, had some serious questions to ask of themselves, and realised that winning back the Ashes was by no means the ultimate achievement. In fact, the loss of the first test in Multan is considered by many analysts of the game to be a turning point for the fortunes of the England side, one from which they still have not fully come back from to this date. It was a match they should have won, and they assumed they would win. However, Pakistan took advantage of their complacency and basically dominated the series from that point onwards.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
and Matthew Prior
(who played his second ODI), added 43 before Trescothick lobbed a catch to Danish Kaneria
, but Prior went on to make a career-best 45 before Mohammad Sami
had him out lbw
. After 25 overs, England had made 131 for 2, but Strauss and Pietersen then added 50 in four overs before Pietersen was stumped off a wide ball from Shoaib Malik
. His 56 off 39 balls, however, had brought the average English run rate above 6, and it never fell below 5.75 from then on. Though Strauss was eventually caught off Kaneria's bowling - six short of his third ODI century - Flintoff added 90 with Paul Collingwood
in the last 11 overs, and England had totalled 327 for 4, Flintoff hitting three sixes on his way to an unbeaten 72.
However, his bowling leaked runs at a rate quicker than the target rate, with the first four overs costing 41 runs after he had come on as first change bowler for James Anderson
, who had dismissed Kamran Akmal
with the eleventh ball of the match. Salman Butt
and Younis Khan
shared a stand of 117 runs at a rate of 6.75 per over, but mid-innings England's slowest bowlers came to the fore. Ian Blackwell
bowled ten overs without conceding a boundary, ending without a wicket but conceding 45 runs, while Paul Collingwood
dismissed Inzamam-ul-Haq
as the latter mistimed a guide to third man into the gloves of Geraint Jones
who held the catch on the second attempt. With ten overs remaining, Pakistan needed 88 with six wickets in hand, with Harmison, Flintoff and ODI debutant Liam Plunkett
bowling. Plunkett was the first to get a wicket, dismissing Mohammad Yousuf after an 83-run stand (off 96 balls) with Shoaib Malik
, but Abdul Razzaq hit Flintoff for eleven off the four balls he faced in the next over, and with five overs remaining Pakistan needed 51. However, both the recognised batsmen were out in the next over to Plunkett, as the debutant finished with three for 51 (all caught), and Shoaib Akhtar
was run out on the final ball of the over. Flintoff got two wickets in the 47th over to end the chase, but Strauss was named Man of the Match for his innings of 94, which included partnerships with every batsman except Trescothick and Collingwood. (Cricinfo scorecard)
Kamran Akmal
hit his second ODI century - indeed, his second score above 50. However, it was Shoaib Akhtar
who became Man of the Match
, after removing Marcus Trescothick
and Andrew Strauss
in the same over and coming back to take three more wickets while bowling. England had won the toss and batted first, and after an opening stand of 30 between Trescothick and Matthew Prior
Shoaib took two wickets in an over. Another stand of 44 took England to 74 after 13 overs, but Rana Naved-ul-Hasan
repeated Shoaib's feat, and a full ball from Abdul Razzaq took care of Prior for 32.
Shoaib returned for two more wickets, and when Paul Collingwood
chipped a return catch to Danish Kaneria
England were 130 for 8 with 20 overs still to bat. They had little option but to put on their Super Sub Vikram Solanki
, a specialist batsman, for bowler James Anderson
- Solanki joined in with Liam Plunkett
, who hit a maiden fifty in his second ODI for England, as the two shared a 100-run partnership. However, Plunkett and Steve Harmison
were out in successive balls in the penultimate over, and England set a target of 230 on a pitch that had been described as "flat and perfect for batting". As it turned out, it wasn't enough - Flintoff, Harmison and Collingwood got a wicket each, but the Pakistani batsmen hit 34 boundaries in total - 138 of 231 runs - with Akmal sharing two 70+ stands, the opening with Salman Butt
, and a third-wicket one with Mohammad Yousuf (who hit 28 off 68 balls) to carry Pakistan to 187 for 3 before he pulled a Harmison short ball to Solanki for 102. By that time, though, Pakistan needed 44 in 13.3 overs, and Inzamam-ul-Haq
hit six fours in an unbeaten 31 as Pakistan made it to the target with six overs to spare. (Cricinfo scorecard)
made his second century
in three days to help Pakistan take a 2–1 lead in the series with two games to play, and their highest ODI victory by runs since their group match with Hong Kong
at the 2004 Asia Cup
. It was also their highest ODI win against a Full Member nation of the ICC since a 182-run win over South Africa
in December 2002. England equalled their heaviest defeat ever with this loss. Pakistan were put in to bat after Marcus Trescothick
won the toss, but England's bowlers did not back up the faith Trescothick had in them, not taking a wicket in the first 15 overs, before Liam Plunkett took two wickets in three balls, dismissing Younis Khan for the lowest score of the match, with 0. However, Plunkett was taken for 61 in his seven overs, and though he got the most wickets he was the least economical. Neither he nor Steve Harmison could stop the Pakistani pair of Akmal and Mohammad Yousuf, as the two added 104 in 16.2 overs before Kamran was caught off Paul Collingwood
for 109. Mohammad Yousuf, who batted well for 68 off 65, was then responsible for two run-outs-his own, and that of the big-hitting Shahid Afridi
, who creamed 31 off 14 balls. However, this was surpassed by Abdul Razzaq, who battered five fours and three sixes in a blazing 51 off 22 balls. At one stage, Razzaq looked poised to get the fastest ODI fifty, but some good death-over bowling from Andrew Flintoff
, who was the best of the English bowlers, ensured that this at least would not happen. The Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq
provided Razzaq with good support as he made 45 off 35.
When England batted, no partnership lasted more than ten overs, and after a run out and two wickets from Rana Naved-ul-Hasan in the eighth over, they failed to chase the target. England were ahead of Pakistan by runs at the 15-over mark, having made 72 for 3 compared to Pakistan's 71 for 0, but Andrew Strauss
was then lbw
to an inswinging ball from Mohammad Sami
, and Andrew Flintoff
departed three overs later, bowled
by Yasir Arafat
, whom he had earlier hit for three fours in an over. With two more wickets falling, England brought on Ian Bell as a substitute, and though he made an unbeaten 37, the highest score of the innings, his batting partners could not pass 20, and England were bowled out for 188 eight overs before the end.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
(Cricinfo scorecard)
(Cricinfo Scorecard)
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
failed to chase a target of under 200 runs for the first time since the fourth Test of the 1998-99 Ashes
English cricket team in Australia in 1998-99
-Second Test: 28-30 Nov 1998, Perth:-Third Test: 11-15 Dec 1998, Adelaide:-Fourth Test: 26-30 December, Melbourne:-Fifth Test: 2-6 January, Sydney:-References:* Playfair Cricket Annual* Wisden Cricketers Almanack...
,, as Danish Kaneria
Danish Kaneria
Danish Prabha Shanker Kaneria is a Pakistani cricketer . Danish Kaneria has continued the tradition of great Pakistani leg spin bowlers and possesses a very well disguised googly...
and Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket, who is regarded as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket. He set an official world record by achieving the fastest delivery, when he clocked in at 161.3 km/h in his bowling speed, twice at a cricket match against...
shared seven wickets to bowl England out in three spurts at Multan. Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
took their first victory over England at home since 1987-88, despite surrendering a first-innings lead of 144 and setting a target of 198 - and England were even 64 for 1 chasing that target. However, Kaneria removed Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss
Andrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
and Ian Bell in the same over, before Paul Collingwood
Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
was lbw
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
to Mohammad Sami
Mohammad Sami
Mohammad Sami is a Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket who is currently representing the Pakistan cricket team in Test cricket and Twenty20 cricket matches...
in the next. England had gone from 64 for 1 to 67 for 4 - Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
and Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey...
added 26, before Kaneria struck again, as Flintoff swept him to Younis Khan. Eventually, they were 117 for 7, before Shaun Udal
Shaun Udal
Shaun David Udal is an English cricketer. An off spin bowler and lower-middle order batsman, he was a member of England's Test team for their tours to Pakistan and India in 2005/06.-International career:...
came in and added 49 with Geraint Jones
Geraint Jones
Geraint Owen Jones MBE is an England cricketer of Welsh extraction but raised in Australia. Until August 2006 he was the first-choice wicketkeeper for England in both Test and One-day cricket, but fell behind Chris Read, Paul Nixon, Matt Prior and Tim Ambrose...
- and then, Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket, who is regarded as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket. He set an official world record by achieving the fastest delivery, when he clocked in at 161.3 km/h in his bowling speed, twice at a cricket match against...
bowled
Bowled
Bowled is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is covered by Law 30 of the Laws of cricket.A batsman is out bowled if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler...
Jones for 33, leaving England to hit 33 for the last two wickets. Udal and Steve Harmison
Steve Harmison
Stephen James Harmison MBE is an English cricketer. Primarily a fast bowler, he represented England in 63 Tests, 58 ODI's, and 2 T20's. He also plays county cricket for Durham....
went in quick succession, and England finished on 175. Despite the efforts of the bowlers, it was Salman Butt
Salman Butt
Salman Butt is a former Pakistani cricketer who was a regular Test and ODI left-handed opening batsman. He made his Test debut on 3 September 2003 in the third Test against Bangladesh, and a year later made his ODI debut against West Indies on 22 September 2004. He was appointed captain of the...
who became Man of the Match, as his 122 in the second innings enabled Pakistan to set a target.
Second Test:Pakistan v England (20-24 November)
Pakistan won the toss and batted first, and scored heavily on the first day - with Shahid AfridiShahid Afridi
Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi , popularly known as Shahid Afridi , is a Pakistani cricketer. Between 1996 and 2011, Afridi played 27 Tests, 325 One Day Internationals, and 43 Twenty20 Internationals for the Pakistani national team...
in particular punishing England's bowlers. After the first day, Pakistan had reached 300/4. The second day of the test contains a few dramatic incidents. Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq , also known as Inzamam, nicknamed Inzy, is a former Pakistan international cricketer who was national captain between 2003 and 2007. He is a right-handed batsman who has been regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his era...
was run out in controversial circumstances - he was adjudged to have his foot in the air while avoiding a direct shy at the stumps by Stephen Harmison. The laws of cricket
Laws of cricket
The laws of cricket are a set of rules established by the Marylebone Cricket Club which describe the laws of cricket worldwide, to ensure uniformity and fairness. There are currently 42 laws, which outline all aspects of how the game is played from how a team wins a game, how a batsman is...
state a player should not be given out if he is taking evasive action to avoid injury.
After Pakistan were bowled out for 462, England began their reply. The next incident occurred when a gas canister exploded within the ground, damaging the boundary hoarding and some spectators nearby. Play was halted for around 15 minutes until authorities determined it was safe to continue. However, television footage subsequently showed that Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi
Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi , popularly known as Shahid Afridi , is a Pakistani cricketer. Between 1996 and 2011, Afridi played 27 Tests, 325 One Day Internationals, and 43 Twenty20 Internationals for the Pakistani national team...
had deliberately scuffed up the wicket during this distraction - an action for which he was subsequently fined, and banned for 1 test match and 2 one day internationals.
After this distraction, England lost 2 quick wickets to end the day of 113/3. They recovered on day 3 through the efforts of Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey...
who both scored centuries. England were eventually bowled out for 446, and their bowlers made an improved effort in Pakistan's second innings, reducing them to 183/6 by the end of day 4. They could think about a possible victory, but Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq , also known as Inzamam, nicknamed Inzy, is a former Pakistan international cricketer who was national captain between 2003 and 2007. He is a right-handed batsman who has been regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his era...
was still at the wicket going into day 5.
Pakistan declared after Inzamam got his century, shortly before lunch on the fifth day, and in the sixth over they fell to 20 for four. However, Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey...
and Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
added 80 in 22 overs for the fifth wicket, and Geraint Jones
Geraint Jones
Geraint Owen Jones MBE is an England cricketer of Welsh extraction but raised in Australia. Until August 2006 he was the first-choice wicketkeeper for England in both Test and One-day cricket, but fell behind Chris Read, Paul Nixon, Matt Prior and Tim Ambrose...
and Ashley Giles
Ashley Giles
Ashley Fraser Giles MBE is a retired English cricketer. Giles played the entirety of his 14-year first-class career at Warwickshire County Cricket Club where he is now employed as Director of Cricket...
held on for the draw.
Third Test: Pakistan v England (29 November-3 December)
The third and final test match at Lahore saw Pakistan enforcing their authority on the series off the back of the momentum they had built up by winning the first test and dominating most of the second one.England won the toss and chose to bat – and after a useful start where the openers put on 101, they were then regularly pegged back by Pakistan to end the day on 248/6. Criticism was levelled at the English batsmen for getting out to some injudicious shots. The use of the sweep shot came in for particular attention, as 5 batsmen lost their wicket attempting such a shot. Despite a battling 96 by Paul Collingwood
Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
, England were bowled out for 288.
Pakistan initially struggled in their reply, losing two very early wickets to be 12/2 at lunch on day 2, and they lost their 3rd wicket before the score reached 100. However, Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq , also known as Inzamam, nicknamed Inzy, is a former Pakistan international cricketer who was national captain between 2003 and 2007. He is a right-handed batsman who has been regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his era...
continued his dominance over England’s attack, and only left the crease due to a hand injury. Mohammad Yousuf also built on his good form, and profited from being dropped on 16. In fact, he would eventually bat through the entire third day, which was an awful one for England where their only success was the wicket of the nightwatchman, Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket, who is regarded as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket. He set an official world record by achieving the fastest delivery, when he clocked in at 161.3 km/h in his bowling speed, twice at a cricket match against...
, and that was only after he had made a score of 38.
Mohammad Yousuf and Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal is a Pakistani cricketer who has played Tests, ODIs and T20Is for Pakistan as a wicket-keeper.- International career :He is a quick-scoring batsman and a wicket-keeper, who has achieved 6 centuries in Test innings...
put on 269 runs for the 5th wicket, with Yousuf scoring a career best 223. Akmal scored 154 which was also a career best. England then faced the daunting prospect of the return of Inzamam after his injury, returning to resume his innings nearly 2 days after he had left the crease. Inzamam returned to play some expansive strokes with the lower order, and accelerate the scoring to an extent that it would be impossible for England to win the game. He was eventually run out on 97 just before lunch on the 4th day, and he immediately declared his side’s innings on an enormous 636/8.
England by this point were shattered, withdrawn and dispirited. Although Paul Collingwood
Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
and Ian Bell produced a determined rearguard effort in the second innings, putting on 175 for the 3rd wicket, England would not be able to bat out the match. They slumped from 205/3 to 248 all out, to lose the match by an innings and 100 runs. Danish Kaneria
Danish Kaneria
Danish Prabha Shanker Kaneria is a Pakistani cricketer . Danish Kaneria has continued the tradition of great Pakistani leg spin bowlers and possesses a very well disguised googly...
and Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket, who is regarded as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket. He set an official world record by achieving the fastest delivery, when he clocked in at 161.3 km/h in his bowling speed, twice at a cricket match against...
were the stand out bowlers involved in the collapse, recording figures of 4/52 and 5/71 respectively.
Pakistan and their supporters were delighted with such a convincing victory over a side who had recently triumphed over Australia. England, on the other hand, had some serious questions to ask of themselves, and realised that winning back the Ashes was by no means the ultimate achievement. In fact, the loss of the first test in Multan is considered by many analysts of the game to be a turning point for the fortunes of the England side, one from which they still have not fully come back from to this date. It was a match they should have won, and they assumed they would win. However, Pakistan took advantage of their complacency and basically dominated the series from that point onwards.
Pakistan A v England XI (7 December)
Pakistan A won by 1 wicket.(Cricinfo scorecard)
First ODI: Pakistan v England (10 December)
England recorded their second win on tour, and their first over Pakistan, after winning the toss and batting to set a target that was eventually too big for Pakistan to chase down. England's openers, Marcus TrescothickMarcus Trescothick
Marcus Edward Trescothick MBE is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, and represented England in 76 Test matches and 123 One Day Internationals. A left-handed opening batsman, he made his first-class debut for Somerset in 1993 and quickly established...
and Matthew Prior
Matthew Prior (cricketer)
Matthew James Prior is an English One Day International and Test cricketer who plays domestic cricket for Sussex. He is a wicket-keeper, and his aggressive right-handed batting enables him to open the innings in ODI matches...
(who played his second ODI), added 43 before Trescothick lobbed a catch to Danish Kaneria
Danish Kaneria
Danish Prabha Shanker Kaneria is a Pakistani cricketer . Danish Kaneria has continued the tradition of great Pakistani leg spin bowlers and possesses a very well disguised googly...
, but Prior went on to make a career-best 45 before Mohammad Sami
Mohammad Sami
Mohammad Sami is a Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket who is currently representing the Pakistan cricket team in Test cricket and Twenty20 cricket matches...
had him out lbw
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
. After 25 overs, England had made 131 for 2, but Strauss and Pietersen then added 50 in four overs before Pietersen was stumped off a wide ball from Shoaib Malik
Shoaib Malik
Shoaib Malik is a Pakistani cricket player and former captain. He made his One-Day International debut in 1999 against the West Indies and his Test debut in 2001 against Bangladesh. He has taken over 100 ODI wickets, and has a batting average in the mid 30s in both Test and ODI cricket...
. His 56 off 39 balls, however, had brought the average English run rate above 6, and it never fell below 5.75 from then on. Though Strauss was eventually caught off Kaneria's bowling - six short of his third ODI century - Flintoff added 90 with Paul Collingwood
Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
in the last 11 overs, and England had totalled 327 for 4, Flintoff hitting three sixes on his way to an unbeaten 72.
However, his bowling leaked runs at a rate quicker than the target rate, with the first four overs costing 41 runs after he had come on as first change bowler for James Anderson
James Anderson (cricketer)
James Michael "Jimmy" Anderson is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club and since bursting onto the scene in 2002/03, before his first full season of county cricket, Anderson has represented England in over 50 Test matches and over 100 One Day...
, who had dismissed Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal is a Pakistani cricketer who has played Tests, ODIs and T20Is for Pakistan as a wicket-keeper.- International career :He is a quick-scoring batsman and a wicket-keeper, who has achieved 6 centuries in Test innings...
with the eleventh ball of the match. Salman Butt
Salman Butt
Salman Butt is a former Pakistani cricketer who was a regular Test and ODI left-handed opening batsman. He made his Test debut on 3 September 2003 in the third Test against Bangladesh, and a year later made his ODI debut against West Indies on 22 September 2004. He was appointed captain of the...
and Younis Khan
Younis Khan
Mohammad Younus Khan is a Pakistani cricketer and former captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. Younus' name is often spelled Younis Khan, but he has been quoted as saying, "My name is Younus Khan...
shared a stand of 117 runs at a rate of 6.75 per over, but mid-innings England's slowest bowlers came to the fore. Ian Blackwell
Ian Blackwell
Ian David Blackwell is an English cricketer. A left-arm orthodox spinner and powerful middle-order batsman, he has played for England in one-day and Test sides, and plays county cricket for Durham, having left Somerset at the end of the 2008 season.-Career:Blackwell was called up for the England...
bowled ten overs without conceding a boundary, ending without a wicket but conceding 45 runs, while Paul Collingwood
Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
dismissed Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq , also known as Inzamam, nicknamed Inzy, is a former Pakistan international cricketer who was national captain between 2003 and 2007. He is a right-handed batsman who has been regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his era...
as the latter mistimed a guide to third man into the gloves of Geraint Jones
Geraint Jones
Geraint Owen Jones MBE is an England cricketer of Welsh extraction but raised in Australia. Until August 2006 he was the first-choice wicketkeeper for England in both Test and One-day cricket, but fell behind Chris Read, Paul Nixon, Matt Prior and Tim Ambrose...
who held the catch on the second attempt. With ten overs remaining, Pakistan needed 88 with six wickets in hand, with Harmison, Flintoff and ODI debutant Liam Plunkett
Liam Plunkett
Liam Edward Plunkett is an English cricketer, who plays for Durham and England. In the 2005 season he was Durham's leading first-class wicket-taker, with 51 wickets at a bowling average of 30.84, including eight for 88 in his first game of the season against Leicestershire.-Test cricket:Plunkett...
bowling. Plunkett was the first to get a wicket, dismissing Mohammad Yousuf after an 83-run stand (off 96 balls) with Shoaib Malik
Shoaib Malik
Shoaib Malik is a Pakistani cricket player and former captain. He made his One-Day International debut in 1999 against the West Indies and his Test debut in 2001 against Bangladesh. He has taken over 100 ODI wickets, and has a batting average in the mid 30s in both Test and ODI cricket...
, but Abdul Razzaq hit Flintoff for eleven off the four balls he faced in the next over, and with five overs remaining Pakistan needed 51. However, both the recognised batsmen were out in the next over to Plunkett, as the debutant finished with three for 51 (all caught), and Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket, who is regarded as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket. He set an official world record by achieving the fastest delivery, when he clocked in at 161.3 km/h in his bowling speed, twice at a cricket match against...
was run out on the final ball of the over. Flintoff got two wickets in the 47th over to end the chase, but Strauss was named Man of the Match for his innings of 94, which included partnerships with every batsman except Trescothick and Collingwood. (Cricinfo scorecard)
Second ODI: Pakistan v England (12 December)
Pakistan levelled the series after their wicket-keeperWicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal is a Pakistani cricketer who has played Tests, ODIs and T20Is for Pakistan as a wicket-keeper.- International career :He is a quick-scoring batsman and a wicket-keeper, who has achieved 6 centuries in Test innings...
hit his second ODI century - indeed, his second score above 50. However, it was Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket, who is regarded as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket. He set an official world record by achieving the fastest delivery, when he clocked in at 161.3 km/h in his bowling speed, twice at a cricket match against...
who became Man of the Match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
, after removing Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Edward Trescothick MBE is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, and represented England in 76 Test matches and 123 One Day Internationals. A left-handed opening batsman, he made his first-class debut for Somerset in 1993 and quickly established...
and Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss
Andrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
in the same over and coming back to take three more wickets while bowling. England had won the toss and batted first, and after an opening stand of 30 between Trescothick and Matthew Prior
Matthew Prior (cricketer)
Matthew James Prior is an English One Day International and Test cricketer who plays domestic cricket for Sussex. He is a wicket-keeper, and his aggressive right-handed batting enables him to open the innings in ODI matches...
Shoaib took two wickets in an over. Another stand of 44 took England to 74 after 13 overs, but Rana Naved-ul-Hasan
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan is a cricketer who plays for the Pakistani Test and One Day International teams...
repeated Shoaib's feat, and a full ball from Abdul Razzaq took care of Prior for 32.
Shoaib returned for two more wickets, and when Paul Collingwood
Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
chipped a return catch to Danish Kaneria
Danish Kaneria
Danish Prabha Shanker Kaneria is a Pakistani cricketer . Danish Kaneria has continued the tradition of great Pakistani leg spin bowlers and possesses a very well disguised googly...
England were 130 for 8 with 20 overs still to bat. They had little option but to put on their Super Sub Vikram Solanki
Vikram Solanki
Vikram Singh Solanki is an Indian-born English cricketer, who plays county cricket for Worcestershire. In 2007, he became the 24th Worcestershire batsman to pass 10,000 career runs for the county. He also captained Worcestershire from 2005 to 2010, before resigning mid-season...
, a specialist batsman, for bowler James Anderson
James Anderson (cricketer)
James Michael "Jimmy" Anderson is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club and since bursting onto the scene in 2002/03, before his first full season of county cricket, Anderson has represented England in over 50 Test matches and over 100 One Day...
- Solanki joined in with Liam Plunkett
Liam Plunkett
Liam Edward Plunkett is an English cricketer, who plays for Durham and England. In the 2005 season he was Durham's leading first-class wicket-taker, with 51 wickets at a bowling average of 30.84, including eight for 88 in his first game of the season against Leicestershire.-Test cricket:Plunkett...
, who hit a maiden fifty in his second ODI for England, as the two shared a 100-run partnership. However, Plunkett and Steve Harmison
Steve Harmison
Stephen James Harmison MBE is an English cricketer. Primarily a fast bowler, he represented England in 63 Tests, 58 ODI's, and 2 T20's. He also plays county cricket for Durham....
were out in successive balls in the penultimate over, and England set a target of 230 on a pitch that had been described as "flat and perfect for batting". As it turned out, it wasn't enough - Flintoff, Harmison and Collingwood got a wicket each, but the Pakistani batsmen hit 34 boundaries in total - 138 of 231 runs - with Akmal sharing two 70+ stands, the opening with Salman Butt
Salman Butt
Salman Butt is a former Pakistani cricketer who was a regular Test and ODI left-handed opening batsman. He made his Test debut on 3 September 2003 in the third Test against Bangladesh, and a year later made his ODI debut against West Indies on 22 September 2004. He was appointed captain of the...
, and a third-wicket one with Mohammad Yousuf (who hit 28 off 68 balls) to carry Pakistan to 187 for 3 before he pulled a Harmison short ball to Solanki for 102. By that time, though, Pakistan needed 44 in 13.3 overs, and Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq , also known as Inzamam, nicknamed Inzy, is a former Pakistan international cricketer who was national captain between 2003 and 2007. He is a right-handed batsman who has been regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his era...
hit six fours in an unbeaten 31 as Pakistan made it to the target with six overs to spare. (Cricinfo scorecard)
Third ODI: Pakistan v England (15 December)
Kamran AkmalKamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal is a Pakistani cricketer who has played Tests, ODIs and T20Is for Pakistan as a wicket-keeper.- International career :He is a quick-scoring batsman and a wicket-keeper, who has achieved 6 centuries in Test innings...
made his second century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
in three days to help Pakistan take a 2–1 lead in the series with two games to play, and their highest ODI victory by runs since their group match with Hong Kong
Hong Kong cricket team
The Hong Kong cricket team represents Hong Kong in international cricket. It played its first match in 1866 and has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 1969....
at the 2004 Asia Cup
2004 Asia Cup
The eighth edition of cricket's Asia Cup was held in Sri Lanka after a gap of 4 years. Sri Lanka beat India in the final to win the cup.-Squads:-Group A:---------Group B:---------Super Fours:--------...
. It was also their highest ODI win against a Full Member nation of the ICC since a 182-run win over South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
in December 2002. England equalled their heaviest defeat ever with this loss. Pakistan were put in to bat after Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Edward Trescothick MBE is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, and represented England in 76 Test matches and 123 One Day Internationals. A left-handed opening batsman, he made his first-class debut for Somerset in 1993 and quickly established...
won the toss, but England's bowlers did not back up the faith Trescothick had in them, not taking a wicket in the first 15 overs, before Liam Plunkett took two wickets in three balls, dismissing Younis Khan for the lowest score of the match, with 0. However, Plunkett was taken for 61 in his seven overs, and though he got the most wickets he was the least economical. Neither he nor Steve Harmison could stop the Pakistani pair of Akmal and Mohammad Yousuf, as the two added 104 in 16.2 overs before Kamran was caught off Paul Collingwood
Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
for 109. Mohammad Yousuf, who batted well for 68 off 65, was then responsible for two run-outs-his own, and that of the big-hitting Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi
Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi , popularly known as Shahid Afridi , is a Pakistani cricketer. Between 1996 and 2011, Afridi played 27 Tests, 325 One Day Internationals, and 43 Twenty20 Internationals for the Pakistani national team...
, who creamed 31 off 14 balls. However, this was surpassed by Abdul Razzaq, who battered five fours and three sixes in a blazing 51 off 22 balls. At one stage, Razzaq looked poised to get the fastest ODI fifty, but some good death-over bowling from Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
, who was the best of the English bowlers, ensured that this at least would not happen. The Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq , also known as Inzamam, nicknamed Inzy, is a former Pakistan international cricketer who was national captain between 2003 and 2007. He is a right-handed batsman who has been regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his era...
provided Razzaq with good support as he made 45 off 35.
When England batted, no partnership lasted more than ten overs, and after a run out and two wickets from Rana Naved-ul-Hasan in the eighth over, they failed to chase the target. England were ahead of Pakistan by runs at the 15-over mark, having made 72 for 3 compared to Pakistan's 71 for 0, but Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss
Andrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
was then lbw
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
to an inswinging ball from Mohammad Sami
Mohammad Sami
Mohammad Sami is a Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket who is currently representing the Pakistan cricket team in Test cricket and Twenty20 cricket matches...
, and Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
departed three overs later, bowled
Bowled
Bowled is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is covered by Law 30 of the Laws of cricket.A batsman is out bowled if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler...
by Yasir Arafat
Yasir Arafat (cricketer)
Yasir Arafat Satti is a Pakistani cricketer. He bats right-handed and bowls right-arm fast medium.-International career:...
, whom he had earlier hit for three fours in an over. With two more wickets falling, England brought on Ian Bell as a substitute, and though he made an unbeaten 37, the highest score of the innings, his batting partners could not pass 20, and England were bowled out for 188 eight overs before the end.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
Fourth ODI: Pakistan v England (19 December)
Despite restricting Pakistan to a below par 210 on a difficult pitch to bat on, England fell 13 runs short against an efficient Pakistan bowling attack.(Cricinfo scorecard)
Fifth ODI: Pakistan v England (21 December)
England successfully defended an average total of 206 to win a close game by 6 runs.(Cricinfo Scorecard)