England beat Pakistan by five wickets in first Twenty20 match
So who needs Kevin Pietersen?
There have been times in the last eight days when cricket has seemed something of an irrelevance but England maintained the winning habit which could prove to be invaluable when they head to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 this winter.
Having wrapped up the Test series against Pakistan last weekend, England carried on the good work when they beat Pakistan by five wickets, with 17 balls to spare, in the first NatWest International Twenty20 match at the Swalec Stadium in Cardiff.
It was England’s first match in the shortest format of the game since they claimed the world title by beating Australia in the final of World Twenty20 Cup in Barbados in May, but if there was any rust it was quickly brushed off. It was also a reminder that the team can still manage to win matches without the assistance of Pietersen, who has been dropped from the England squad so that he can find some form in the county game. And perhaps some humility?
England’s bowlers restricted Pakistan to the relatively paltry score of 126-4, with Graeme Swann once again proving himself to be the team’s go-to bowler in any form of the game at present with figures of 2-14.
If http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 were seeking some relief from the newspaper headlines that once again had tales of more allegations in regard to some players being involved in spot-fixing activities during matches, then their batsmen did not find it at the hands of England’s spinners. When Swann was not tormenting them at one end then Michael Yardy (pictured) provided strong support by taking 1-21, with England's spinners conceding a miserly 35 runs between them from their allotted eight overs as Umar Akmal led the resistance with 35 not out.
Pakistan might have thought that there was a c***k of light when the wickets started to fall. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Craig-Kieswetter-c51708 was the first to make the walk back, caught by Kamran Akmal off the bowling of Shoaib Akhtar, with the score on nine. From there Ravi Bopara (11), Paul Collingwood (4) Steve Davies (33) and Luke Wright (0) left England just starting to wobble on 62-5 but then Eoin Morgan, assisted by Yardy, steadied the ship.
There has been plenty written about Pakistan’s fielding - in terms of its competence or other, more sinister, suggestions – but when Morgan was dropped on just 13 it was the moment when Pakistan let slip their slim chances of a win.
Morgan and Yardy rattled up 67 runs from 43 deliveries as England won with a fair bit in hand. Yardy’s 35 not out clinched the man-of-the-match award but it was Morgan who once again played a central part in steering England home when those higher in the batting had delivered lower than expectations. The point was not lost on his captain, Collingwood, who said: “The bowlers have been absolutely fantastic to keep Pakistan down to a total like that. We had a little bit of a hiccup [in the batting], losing a few early wickets, but Morgs and Yards were outstanding at the end.
“Morgs has done it many times before. Actually too many times; the guys at the top of the order need to pull their finger out – including myself.”
This was the sixth successive victory for England in Twenty20 Internationals and they will be fancying their chances of extending that run when the sides return to Cardiff on Tuesday.
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