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Monday, 27 February 2012

England seal series in thriller

Jade Dernbach celebrates his wicket to hand England victory, Pakistan v England, 3rd Twenty20, Abu Dhabi, February 27, 2012

England produced world-class death bowling coupled with moments of brilliance in the field to snatch a five-run victory in the deciding Twenty20 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and seal the series 2-1. With Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal together, needing 35 off the last five overs, Pakistan were in control but Stuart Broad and Jade Dernbach showed nerves of steel to finish the tour on a high.

Broad bowled the 16th and 19th overs which cost just four runs apiece and that included a misfield by Jonny Bairstow at long-on in the penultimate over which gave away a boundary. Broad removed Akmal, who skied a catch to long-off after missing the first two balls of the 19th over, and Bairstow redeemed himself in the last with a powerful throw to Craig Kieswetter which found Shahid Afridi short of his crease.

Dernbach, who bowled the 17th over for six runs, was left with 13 to play with for the last and was in control except when a slower ball looped out short to be called wide. That left Pakistan needing eight off three deliveries but Hammad Azam and Misbah could only muster two singles before a trademark slower ball from Dernbach castled Misbah and set of wild celebrations from the bowler.

The series win, a notable result for Broad who is still in his infancy as a captain, will give the England squad a significant surge of confidence ahead of their title defence at the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. Their remaining T20s before that tournament are all at home, so success in conditions similar - if not identical - to Sri Lanka will have provided a wealth of knowledge especially for the younger players.

Misbah, meanwhile, could well face further criticism after ending with 28 off 32 balls but it should have been the anchor innings to guide his side home. Only in the final four overs did the asking rate hit eight-an-over and some of Akmal's wild heaves to leg didn't show very clear thinking. It had been difficult to hit boundaries all evening - the match produced 15 fours and three sixes - and huge credit must go to England's bowlers and fielders. Graeme Swann built pressure for the quicks with a guileful spell and Jos Buttler, having endured a poor series with the bat, manufactured a wicket with a flat throw that was superbly collected by Kieswetter to remove the well-set Asad Shafiq.

It is a fine line batsmen tread in Twenty20. For the failure of Misbah to get his side across the line there is the success of Kevin Pietersen after his unbeaten 62, made from a sedate 52 balls, gave England a defendable total. It was clear early on that this wasn't a 150 pitch and Pietersen judged it was better to stay until the end than aim too high. Samit Patel contributed a spritely 16 and Pietersen finished the innings with a last-ball six off Aizaz Cheema which ultimately proved the difference.

What Eoin Morgan would give for some of Pietersen's end-of-tour form. His last innings of the trip was a tortured affair, as many of the 16 before this one had also been. He chipped short of long-off against Afridi on 6 and should have been stumped on 8 as Akmal added another error to a long list. But this one didn't prove costly although Morgan was left cursing a team-mate rather than himself. Pietersen drove firmly to cover, where Misbah fumbled, and didn't adhere to the adage of "don't run on a misfield", leaving Morgan stuffed when he changed his mind again.

Bairstow couldn't repeat his showing from two days ago as he misjudged the length against Saeed Ajmal, who claimed 4 for 23, and England's other young middle-order batsman, Buttler, had another tough innings. He scored four runs off the nine combined deliveries he faced from Ajmal and Afridi and was then given lbw against Ajmal playing a sweep that left him on his knees in the crease. This tour hasn't launched Buttler's international career as it appeared it could do but he can still make the World Twenty20.

Crucially, however, Umar Gul had a poor day. Trying to react to Pietersen's movement in the crease, he conceded five wides down the leg side and, in his final over, sprayed another wide outside off stump with Pietersen proceeding to hit the seventh ball to the midwicket boundary. That's all it takes to change a tight Twenty20.

Who can provide the strong finish?

Hammad Azam gave Pakistan hope with some strong striking, Pakistan v England, 2nd Twenty20, Dubai, February 25, 2012

The Big Picture

After two whitewashes we now have a series decider following England's slick victory in the second Twenty20 international in Dubai. Twenty20 matches can swing on the smallest of factors, but the intensity and sharpness of England's display on Saturday suggests they are the side finishing stronger.

A series victory will help consolidate England's position at the top of the rankings, although the bigger picture, and it applies to both teams, is putting in place plans for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka during September and October. Twenty20 internationals are few and far between - three-match series are a new breed in this format - so each game is important towards building a unit.

England learned quickly between the first and second matches in Dubai while Pakistan regressed quite significantly, especially with the bat. Jonny Bairstow showed that England's young players are soaking up their experiences while the incisiveness of the bowling attack is now consistent across all three formats.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Pakistan LWWWW
England WLWLW

Watch out for...

Hammad Azam showed some spark in the second Twenty20 and while he was cutting loose, in a manner reminiscent of Abdul Razzaq, Pakistan were not out of the match. For a 20-year-old playing his first Twenty20 international innings it was a display of impressive confidence. It might be worth Misbah-ul-Haq giving him a bowl.

Graeme Swann was out-bowled in the Test series by Monty Panesar and often overshadowed by the quicks in the 50-over matches, but he has come into his own in the Twenty20s. His eight overs have brought figures of 5 for 30, which should provide him a nice rankings boost at the end of the series. And he still likes cracking the jokes.

Team news

The form of Shoaib Malik is causing Pakistan problems, which became even more acute when Misbah struggled to score in the second match. The middle order could do with some more kick and it may be worth promoting Azam. Imran Farhat is also in the squad if they decide Awais Zia has proved just too hit and miss.

Pakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Awais Zia, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Umar Akmal (wk), 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Hammad Azam, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Aizaz Cheema

With the series on the line England won't be tinkering as they did in the last ODI, which means Tim Bresnan is unlikely to find a place.

England (probable) 1 Kevin Pietersen, 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Ravi Bopara, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Stuart Broad (capt), 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Jade Dernbach, 11 Steven Finn

Pitch and conditions

In Dubai a score of around 140-150 proved defendable and the nature of the pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi during the ODIs suggests something similar could be par for this final match. It will be another late finish for fans and players with an 8pm start.

Stats and trivia

Pakistan's defeat on Saturday was Misbah's first as captain in a Twenty20
In 16 innings on tour (including the warm-up matches) Eoin Morgan has made 190 runs with a top score of 31.

Quotes

"In this game we won last night, I thought Bairstow's innings was outstanding - very skilful, and very powerful as well. That's a very good combination to have."
Andy Flower offers his praise

Amir to focus on ICC ban appeal

Mohammad Amir is set to quickly start the process of trying to rescue his cricket career after returning to Pakistan following the completion of his sentence for spot-fixing. ESPNcricinfo understands that one of his early aims is to pursue his appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) against the five-year ban handed out by the ICC.

Amir returned to Pakistan on Saturday after being released from a young offenders' institute in Dorset after serving half of a six-month sentence handed down in November. The CAS, based in Switzerland, registered Amir's appeal in March 2011 - filed at the same time as those of Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt - after an ICC tribunal had banned the trio from playing any level of cricket.

The CAS is yet to announce a panel to hear the appeal and that will only be formed once Amir takes the process further. The appeal has been delayed because of the criminal charges involved and the sentences imposed.

"It's only the CAS now, which has the right to hear the appeal against the decision," PCB legal advisor, Taffazul Rizvi told ESPNcricinfo. "And any decision made by CAS shall be binding on all."

The PCB is not liable to provide a player financial aid while they pursue a case before the CAS, but the PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf has previously hinted that Amir would be given support while undergoing rehabilitation. "All offences against which the players were accused off were in their personal capacity for their personal acts so therefore they will face these (CAS) proceeding in their own personal capacity," added Rizvi.

"The cases will be handled in accordance with the procedural rules set out in the code of sports-related arbitration," CAS said in a statement when the appeals were lodged. "The parties will first exchange written submissions and will then be heard at a hearing, the date of which will be fixed at a later stage."

Amir will work with London-based solicitor Sajida Malik to draw up the appeal after Malik accompanied Amir back to Pakistan. Both avoided the media on their arrival in Lahore and remained shut away at Amir's home during the day.

The PCB are likely to put Amir into an education programme as part of his rehabilitation but are also keen to talk to him about the spot-fixing case. Under ICC regulations if a player who has been banned wants to return to cricket he must have gone through a rehabilitation course. As the PCB was his employer when the incidents occurred - Amir held a central contract - they can also decide to hold further investigations although Rizvi said it was a complicated process.

"As far as launching any further inquiry at this point that is something we need to look into," he said. "He has already been found guilty and sentenced from two different forums and is undergoing the sentences. It's not a simple matter and is legally complicated. But the PCB does hold the right to investigate the player."

Friday, 24 February 2012

Misbah hits out at captaincy critics

Misbah-ul-Haq gathered the Pakistan innings and got it moving again, Pakistan v England, 1st T20, Dubai, February, 23, 2012

Misbah-ul-Haq has led an impassioned defence of his captaincy and urged the media not to destabilise Pakistan cricket by pursuing "their own agendas".

What should have been a moment of celebration for Misbah and his team was soured when Pakistan's captain was asked about his own position in the press conference following victory over England in the first of three Twenty20 internationals.

It is not hard to understand why Misbah might have been irritated. He assumed the captaincy of Pakistan in late 2010 with the team disgraced and defeated. Not only that, but he was denied some of the nation's best players due to their involvement in the spot-fixing controversy.

He responded better than most could have dreamed possible. Not only did Misbah restore the good reputation of Pakistan cricket on the pitch, he has done so off it, too.

He has led Pakistan to five Test series victories out of seven - the other two series were drawn - including the recent 3-0 whitewash of England, the No. 1-ranked Test team. On Thursday he led Pakistan to victory over the No.1-rated T20 team in world cricket and afterwards vented his frustration at the media - and the Pakistan media in particular - who seem to want Shahid Afridi restored as captain.

"Even after when we won the Test matches, I continuously told the media we should be patient and consider the realities," Misbah said. "We go on to discuss things that don't need to be discussed - when we perform badly we should talk about that, we should talk about weak areas in the team. People in the media make comments based on furthering their own agendas, not ground realities. This needs to stop; the media should think positively.

"I won't comment on any specific individuals, but you can hear it yourself when you listen to the reports in the media. I also say even after winning we shouldn't go overboard - we should base such discussions on facts. Appreciate the attributes in the team which are to be admired - even after winning, pinpoint specific mistakes - if a player isn't making centuries, or a bowler is not taking wickets, then discuss those points.

"What we shouldn't do is start speaking ill of individuals. As a team we lost the ODI series: don't blame one player or just the captain. The dramatic changes highlighted are unnecessary. It is these players that have won you six series. If we made mistakes and lost a series against a top team, then we should be backed. If the proposed changes highlighted by the media were implemented, we would have six captains and six different teams up to the World Cup in 2015.

"We cannot improve if we continuously ask for captains and teams to be replaced after losing one series. You have to back your players at a certain level."

Misbah's real problem - and it is a problem without a solution - is that he is not Afridi. The populist adoration for Afridi - for his charisma, his talent and his aura - is boundless. Misbah, with his more prosaic qualities of reliability, calm and consistency, is overshadowed by comparison. While logic might back Misbah, emotions are with Afridi.



	"We cannot improve if we continuously ask for captains and teams to be replaced after losing one series"Misbah-ul-Haq

When Afridi drops a batting glove a nation stoops to pick it up. When Afridi fails with the bat - and, unpalatable though it will be to Pakistan supporters, he fails with the bat rather too often - a nation mourns his ill fortune. When Misbah scores 50, a nation frowns upon the slow pace at which he scored it. Misbah could invent a cure for cancer and someone will claim that Afridi would have done it with more panache.

Afridi is a cricketer - a man, even - of immense charm. He is a magnificent limited-overs bowler, a courageous fielder and a batsman who has, upon occasions, dazzled. But he was fired as limited-overs skipper in May 2011 after returning early from the tour of the Caribbean and following the disintegration of his relationship with Waqar Younis, the coach at the time.

His record as captain is also modest: Afridi has captained Pakistan in one Test, 34 ODIs and 19 T20Is. The Test was lost, as were 11 of the T20Is, though he led his side to 18 wins in ODI cricket.

Compare that with Misbah's record as captain. He has led in 15 Tests (nine wins, five draws and just that one loss against the West Indies), 19 ODIs (14 wins and five losses) and six T20Is (all of which have been won). In the light of such figures, it is somewhat bewildering that Misbah is obliged to continually defend his position.

Misbah was frank about Pakistan's greatest weakness: the fielding of his side remains poor. He warned there will be no short-term solutions, but suggested with the bowling attack he has at his disposal, Pakistan will always be capable of success. Afridi, Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal are the top three wicket-takers in the history of T20Is and Misbah felt it was Gul's bowling that made the difference on Thursday.

"It's a natural phenomenon," he said. "We don't focus on fitness and fielding at grass roots level. Our fielding is much improved from before, but we have to put in a lot of effort to improve. It's not a problem that can be solved overnight.

"When you have Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi, three of the top bowlers in T20 cricket, top wicket takers, you always have a chance. They bowled well and kept the pressure on. When a bowler is at his best it's difficult to play him. Gul bowled well. There was no answer to his bowling.

"The win was important considering the situation in which we were in. The senior players had to perform and Umar Gul's return to form was necessary. Shoaib Malik showing form was also important. It was a much-needed win to bring our confidence back."

Thursday, 23 February 2012

Gul and Ajmal deny England at the death

Umar Gul's 3 for 18 played a major part in Pakistan's victory, Pakistan v England, 1st T20, Dubai, February, 23, 2012

Umar Gul took three wickets in two overs to knock England's

run chase decisively off course

For the first time since Pakistan and England locked horns in the United Arab Emirates, the atmosphere came alive. The advent of Twenty20 attracted a raucous crowd under Dubai Cricket Stadium's ring of fire and such was the delight at the outcome that Pakistan might almost have imagined they were at home.

As the clock ticked around towards 11.30pm local time, Pakistan squeezed to an eight-run victory, recovering their self-belief after a 4-0 caning in the ODI series with an excellent bowling display in defence of a competitive but far from daunting total.Umar Gul, who began the night with a maiden, was back to his best, Mohammad Hafeez burst with competitive edge and Saeed Ajmal's penultimate over was masterful. England needed 18 off the last over, from Junaid Khan, who had been the weak link in Pakistan's attack, but they never came close.

Pakistan's captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, had termed this series a "decider" after his side had pulled off a clean sweep in the Tests and England had responded in kind in the ODIs. There was plenty to play for and one of the most passionate cricket crowds Dubai has ever witnessed galvanised Pakistan.

Kevin Pietersen excelled with the bat for England, a batsman convinced that he is heading for the IPL with his superstar status reconfirmed, his 33 from 21 balls beginning with a calculated assault on Junaid and ending unluckily when he pulled Shahid Afridi and picked out the only fielder within many a mile, Asad Shafiq, at deep forward square. For the rest of England's batsmen it was a struggle, a succession of scrambled ones and twos.

Craig Kieswetter backed away so far to the leg side that he could not reach a delivery from Hafeez even though it bowled him leg stump. Ravi Bopara's 39 from 32 balls kept England in contention, but it was a gruelling affair, his sweep shot malfunctioning so often that he will be able to count the bruises.

Jos Buttler was out to his signature shot, shovelling Gul over his left shoulder but picking out Ajmal at short fine leg. When Samit Patel fell lbw to Gul first ball, at 121 for 6, England needed 24 from 16 balls, but they failed to hit a single boundary in the last six overs.

Stuart Broad, England's third captain in 17 days, inserted Pakistan, perhaps sensing their batsmen were low on confidence, but Awais Zia's debut had been eagerly awaited and he did not disappoint, playing with wanton aggression before he was undone by a slower ball from Steven Finn.

Zia has already been called "Young Boom Boom", and such is the reputation in Pakistan of the original "Boom Boom", Shahid Afridi, that accolades of that kind are not given lightly. The name might stick. He is a slim, lightly moustached 25-year-old and displayed a sharp eye and an appetite for swinging from the hip.

Pakistan need an injection of youthful ambition into their Twenty20 team, especially at a time when they need to proclaim they can renew despite being precluded from playing internationals at home because of fears of terrorist attacks.

Finn had looked all but unplayable in the ODI series, but Zia deposited the second ball he faced over midwicket and, in Finn's next over, top-edged a murderous pull for six. He will be loved for his freewheeling style. Finn, though, gave him a send-off - a tyro himself, transformed into a bit of a grump. Finn had a bad night, his four overs costing 39.

It was a late start in Dubai - 8pm, not too far short of the time when Graeme Swann begins to wonder where his cat is. He responded with his best T20I figures, 3 for 13 as his off-spin removed Hafeez, Afridi and Umar Akmal in the space of eight balls - and he began with the run out of Asad Shafiq for good measure.

It was left to the two old salts of a Pakistan side with only two players under 30 to organise a recovery from 73 for five. Misbah and Shoaib Malik staged a sixth-wicket partnership of 71 in 9.2 overs, only halted on the final ball of the innings when Shoaib fell to a brilliant diving catch in the deep by Jonathan Bairstow.

Swann, not one of the most natural athletes in the England side, has had a modest time in the field throughout England's stay in the UAE. Another blemish came when a slower ball from Dernbach should have accounted for Shafiq, but was dropped by Swann over his shoulder at mid-off.

Swann then ran out Shafiq , breaking the wicket with his elbows after the wicketkeeper, Craig Kieswetter, had gathered a loose ball sharply at short square leg. His mood lifted, he dismantled the Pakistan top order. Hafeez slog-swept to deep midwicket, then "Boom Boom Senior" fell for seven when he clipped Swann tamely to short midwicket. The most headstrong dismissal of all was that of Umar who was out before scoring as he planted his third ball into the hands of the diving Dernbach at long off.

Sixes in the hands of Zia smack of youthful confidence; when Misbah and Shoaib cleared the ropes it felt like needs-must, a calculated show of aggression once a full risk assessment had been carried out. Shoaib slugged Samit Patel over long-on, Misbah put him over long-off. Thanks to some magical bowling later in the night, they judged their requirements perfectly.

Tuesday, 21 February 2012

Mohsin rejects need for coaching qualifications

Misbah-ul-Haq with coach Mohsin Khan after Pakistan's series win, Pakistan v England, 3rd Test, Dubai, 4th day, February 6, 2012

Mohsin Khan has dismissed the suggestion that a lack of coaching qualifications has rendered him unsuitable for the position of Pakistan coach on a permanent basis.

Mohsin, who will be 57 next month and is the veteran of 48 Tests and 75 ODIs, was appointed as Pakistan's interim coach in October after Waqar Younis resigned for health reasons. Now it appears inevitable that Mohsin will be replaced by Dav Whatmore after the conclusion of Pakistan's limited-overs games against England, with the PCB citing the need for a coach with formal qualifications.

Mohsin and his captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, have been widely acclaimed for bringing stability and contentment to a Pakistan dressing room so often riven by conflict. Pakistan recently beat England 3-0 in the Test series to leave them unbeaten in seven series. But the chairman of the PCB, Zaka Ashraf, said: "No doubt the team has achieved tremendous success under Mohsin, but we need a qualified coach. We need to have foreign or locally qualified coaches in every department."

Clearly Mohsin does not agree. While he is still keen to remain in the role, he said he was "not at all interested" in taking the requisite coaching qualifications. "Any cricketer who has played for his country for nine or ten years and played 40 to 50 to 80 to 100 matches does not need any qualification," Mohsin said. "I don't need to do any coaching courses. If you have played as much cricket as I have, your experience is worth more than any coaching course.

"As an ex-Test cricketer, whenever my services are required for my country's cricket it should be there without any hesitation. It was there, it is there, and it will be there whenever my cricket board requires my services.

"Do I want to remain as coach? Well if my cricket board wants, yes, definitely. I have been doing this for the last four months and I think the team has done well, apart from the previous three ODIs, which I feel very disappointed about because we haven't played to our potential. But if my cricket board wants me to do the job, fine, I will definitely do it."

Just a little of the gloss has been taken off the Misbah-Mohsin partnership by Pakistan's travails in the ODI series. Heading in to the final match on Tuesday, they are facing the possibility of a 4-0 loss, with England having won the first three games.

Pakistan's preparations for the final ODI have been hampered by illness. The virus that rendered Younis Khan unavailable for the third ODI has swept through the team with six or seven of the players currently feeling unwell. The entire squad was given a day off training on Sunday, with Mohsin stating that "they are better than they were, but flu does not go away in a day".

The players are also suffering from homesickness. The security concerns that have prevented Pakistan hosting games in their homeland have left the team spending months living in hotels in the UAE. While the hotels and facilities are excellent, the strain is starting to tell and the high levels of morale that propelled Pakistan through the Test series appear to have ebbed.

"Even our home series are actually away series," Mohsin said. "Pakistani cricketers are coming home for a week or ten days and then going again for a long tour. All possible comforts have been given to the Pakistan team by the UAE administration and that is very good. But nothing can take away homesickness. You can stay in a palace, but [even] if you live in a small two-bedroom house, your home is always home."



	"Nothing can take away the players' homesickness. You can stay in a palace, but [even] if you live in a two-bedroom house, your home is always home"Mohsin Khan

It is, perhaps, telling that the standard of Pakistan's fielding has slipped in the ODI series. Fielding often provides a window to the soul of a team and Mohsin is painfully aware that Pakistan have been substantially inferior in that aspect of the game.

"I will not take anything away from England, because they have played some tremendous cricket," he said. "But we should have played much better. We have been giving away 20 to 25 runs away while fielding and England are saving that many. So it easily comes to a difference of 40 to 50 runs. That is a big difference. Especially in one-day cricket where containment is the most important thing.

"Fielding is the most important department in whatever format. And, when you come to the shorter version, it becomes more important because in shorter versions, if we can contain the opposition we have achieved our [goal]. We did not bowl properly, we did not bat properly and we did not field properly. We haven't played to our potential.

"The England batting has slowly and gradually improved. First it was only Cook and Bopara [who batted well] but later on Pietersen did a marvellous job for his team. England are converting small scores into big scores but we are lacking at the moment. Every batsman is trying, but we are struggling at the moment.

"Beating England 3-0 in the Test series is not a joke. That means we played tremendous cricket; hats off to my boys and to my captain. But we have to raise our standards in one-day cricket, too.

"We must be more professional and more aggressive. It is as simple as that. I believe that hard work always pays and if we are lacking in that then we have to improve. We are working hard. We had a decent chat - the team and the management - and we will be definitely be trying our best."

England 241 for 6 (Pietersen 130, Kieswetter 43) beat Pakistan 237 (Shafiq 65, Dernbach 4-45) by four wickets
Scorecard

Kevin Pietersen continued his return to form, Pakistan v England, 4th ODI, Dubai, February 21, 2012

Enlarge

What a difference a few days makes. It was suggested that Kevin Pietersen had the last two matches of this series to save his one-day international career and less than week later he has back-to-back hundreds to his name - the second a career-best 130 - a spring in his step and a strut at the crease as he guided England to a whitewash against Pakistan with four balls to spare.

Pietersen became the second England batsman in the series, following captain Alastair Cook, to hit consecutive hundreds and it was the second time Pietersen had achieved the feat, following the South Africa series in 2004-05 at the start of his career. It's long been a criticism of England's one-day game that there aren't enough individual three-figure innings so it will provide huge satisfaction for Andy Flower and Graham Gooch, shortly to become the full-time batting coach.

The series, too, is a huge feather in the caps of Flower and Cook. The 4-0 scoreline is England's first whitewash against anyone other than Bangladesh or Zimbabwe since they beat Australia before the 1997 Ashes. That was one of many false dawns for England's one-day side and there needs to be more evidence to find out how this unit develops, but having lost 5-0 in India last October this has been the ideal response.

This was a better display from Pietersen than his hundred on Saturday and it was also his longest ODI innings. Early on his lost regular partners - Cook fell second ball of the innings - and the pitch, used for the second time in three days, was worn and a touch slower. Pakistan packed their side with five spinners and just one quick but only Saeed Ajmal, who removed Eoin Morgan and the debutant Jos Buttler in the space of three balls to leave England wobbling on 68 for 4, posed a significant threat.

Pietersen's main moment of concern came when he was saved by the DRS on 80 after getting into a horrid tangle trying to scoop Abdur Rehman over his shoulder. He was given out lbw by umpire Zameer Haider but replays showed he'd been struck outside off stump. Last week Pietersen spoke about DRS being his biggest challenge; here it was his biggest saviour. The review system made an important intervention when Samit Patel, on 5 and with England needing 44 off 40 balls, was given lbw by Haider but had also been struck outside the line. It wasn't a great evening for the umpires with Cook earlier given not out before Pakistan reviewed.

Patel, on the day he was given an ECB incremental contract, played a calm hand after Craig Kieswetter - who produced his first substantial innings in the middle order - had been run out to end the crucial stand of 109 that turned the chase around. Pietersen went to 99 with a pulled six off Junaid Khan but the hundred was celebrated in far more subdued style than the first. He was aware the victory hadn't been sealed and proceeded to rubber-stamp the result with a flurry of boundaries off Junaid and a straight six off Ajmal. He couldn't quite finish the game, skewing a drive to point with two needed, but the process of restoring a reputation was well advanced.

Again, England had shown the value of one player getting a hundred. In contrast Pakistan's brittle batting line-up again cost them the game, failing to make the most of a solid base provided by Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq, the future of Pakistan's batting, who added 111 for the second wicket. England's reshuffled bowling attack, including debutant Danny Briggs and the recalled Jade Dernbach, stifled the middle order with Misbah-ul-Haq left to gather what he could.

It was another tale of Pakistan's batsmen failing to build on starts as four of them passed 20 but none bettered Shafiq's confident 65. On a surface being used for the second time in three days it was difficult for new batsmen to force the pace straight away, demonstrated by the way the innings fell away. England rested James Anderson and Stuart Broad while Graeme Swann had a minor calf strain, which gave the chance to Briggs claim a commendable 2 for 39 and Dernbach 4 for 45. The latter cleaned up the lower order with Pakistan losing their last six wickets for 35 runs.

Dernbach had a difficult tour of India, where his obsession with variation worked against him, and then had a tough experience in Australia's Big Bash League where he was dropped after two games for Melbourne Stars. Consistency still proved an occasional problem for Dernbach but he also maintained the happy knack of picking up wickets, including Mohammad Hafeez second and Azhar for a stubborn 58.

Shafiq had the perfect opportunity, against a weakened attack, to score his maiden ODI hundred but chopped on against Bresnan in the 23rd over. From there life became much tougher for Pakistan. Umar Akmal was promoted to No. 4 with the chance to build an innings couldn't gathered momentum and provided Briggs with his first international wicket when he lofted a catch to long-off. Briggs showed calmness and control in his first appearance, quickly recovering himself from a couple of loose deliveries against Azhar.

The scoring rate had seized up as Azhar approached his maiden ODI fifty and Shoaib Malik struggled to time the ball. The sense with Azhar, albeit in the very early stages of his career, is that he doesn't have a range of gears to move through in the one-day game. Malik does not have the excuse of inexperience to fall back on and his return to Pakistan colours has not been a happy one in this series. Having used up 33 deliveries for 23 he missed a sweep against Briggs in the spinner's last over. When a team can win without three of their main bowlers it bodes well for the future.

GALLERY

Monday, 20 February 2012