England edge home

Jon Lewis celebrates removing the dangerous Shahid Afridi

England survived an acute bout of nerves to beat Pakistan in the final match of the NatWest Series and end the international summer on a high.

A middle-order collapse evoked fears that the hosts may somehow contrive to throw away a position of seeming invincibility, but they sneaked home by three wickets during a tense finale at Edgbaston.

The manner in which they lost three wickets for four runs, Ian Bell and Andrew Strauss having succumbed to successive deliveries earlier in the innings, may have provided the crowd with an alarming flashback to the England of yore as they chased a modest target of 155.

But the spirit shown in recovering from a dreadful start to draw the series 2-2 - a recovery made all the more impressive given their 5-0 drubbing by Sri Lanka earlier this summer - bodes well for their one-day future.

Though they were indebted to an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 40 between Michael Yardy and Sajid Mahmood, who made an unbeaten 22 to go with figures of 2-24, England’s success can be attributed largely to their display with the ball.

They utilised helpful bowling conditions after a 10.15am start to restrict Pakistan to 154 for nine, a performance as good as any they have produced this year in the limited-overs arena.

Paul Collingwood dismisses Abdul Razzaq, his 50th ODI wicket © Getty Images

England dominated from the moment the first wicket fell just under an hour into the day’s play.

Chris Read, accomplished behind the stumps throughout, ran Imran Farhat out to spark a collapse which saw nine wickets fall for 92.

It said much for England’s superiority that an opening partnership of 43 was comfortably Pakistan’s most productive, while Younis Khan’s responsible 47 stood out amid the wreckage of a scorecard featuring six single-figure scores.

Though they shared a watchful stand spanning 12 overs after Strauss won the toss for the first time in five attempts, Farhat and Mohammad Hafeez were separted by a combination of amateurish running and splendid wicket-keeping.

Farhat dropped the ball just beyond his stumps off Mahmood and took a few strides out of his crease as he contemplated a single that never looked feasible. But he was in no apparent rush to regain his ground as Read charged in and hit the stumps with an improvised throw between his legs.

Shahid Afridi, in aiming a wild heave to leg, had his off stump pegged back by Jon Lewis in the next over, and six balls later Hafeez, who made 18, was bowled via a bottom-edge as he attempted to pull Mahmood.

That left Pakistan 51 for three, which became 68 for four when Mahmood removed Mohammad Yousuf courtesy of a superb leg-cutter and Strauss’ excellent low catch to his right at a wide slip.

Sajid Mahmood helps inch England closer to victory with a sweetly-driven boundary

Pakistan’s position looked even more perilous when Inzamam-ul-Haq was trapped leg before by Paul Collingwood, who claimed his 50th one-day international wicket by bowling Abdul Razzaq through the gate.

Yardy got in on the act by having Kamran Akmal, cutting, superbly held by Read, and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Younis succumbed to the off-spin of Jamie Dalrymple, who finished with 2-13 from six overs, as Pakistan’s innings limped to a close.

Though England lost Ed Joyce - bowled shouldering arms to Mohammad Asif - early in their reply, a win for the hosts looked much the most likely outcome as Bell and Strauss carried them to 49 for one.

But Bell was well held by Farhat at gully off the final ball of Asif’s fifth over, and Strauss, whose fluent 35 contained eight fours, edged the first delivery of Rao Iftikhar Anjum's next over to Akmal.

Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood’s fourth-wicket partnership of 53 was soon forgotten as three wickets fell for the addition of four runs in the space of seven balls to leave England tottering on 106 for six.

Pietersen, who hit Anjum for four fours in an over in his 34, precipiated the collapse when he was bowled sweeping Afridi, who trapped Dalrymple in front before Razzaq accounted for Collingwood in similar fashion.

Chris Read hooked Razzaq to Rana at long leg with England 40 short of victory but Yardy supplied a much-needed dollop of composure and Mahmood some refreshingly orthodox strokeplay - he hit Rana for three fours in an over - to calm England’s nerves.