England win 2010 ICC World Twenty20

As the third ICC World Twenty20 tournament kicks off this evening, I thought I'd post some highlights of England's historic win against Australia two years ago at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

Kevin Pietersen and Craig Kieswetter led the way, tearing apart the Australian attack before Eoin Morgan and captain Paul Collingwood guided England comfortably over the line to secure victory and put an end to a 35 year wait for ICC silverware.

England announce squad for Pakistan series

England have announced a sixteen man squad to take on Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates next month.

Stuart Broad, Eoin Morgan and Chris Tremlett have all recovered from injury and are included, whilst Monty Panesar is selected as second spinner. Ravi Bopara keeps his place after replacing the injured Jonathan Trott against India, and Steven Davies returns as Matt Prior's understudy. Tim Bresnan remains the only doubt having recently undergone elbow surgery.

Perhaps most surprising is the inclusion of Panesar who has not played for England since the first Test of the 2009 Ashes series. Since then Graeme Swann has gone on to establish himself as both England's and the world's premier offspin bowler, however with trips to Sri Lanka and India later in the year England are clearly keen to once again integrate Panesar into their plans. His chances of playing against Pakistan remain slim though with Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower likely to maintain the tried and tested six batsman, four bowlers ratio that worked so effectively this year.

Ravi Bopara will also likely find himself on the sidelines at least initially as England's batsman aim to continue what was a prolific year with the willow in hand. Having fought off competition from the likes of James Taylor and Johnny Bairstow, Bopara has done well to at least keep himself in the England setup, although he will have to make a marked improvement on his last outing in the subcontinent (Sri Lanka, 2007) if he is to remain in the picture in 2012.

With a cloud still hanging over Tim Bresnan, Steven Finn  and Chris Tremlett will also be looking to stake their claim for a recall in the two three-day warm up matches before the first Test on January 16.

Australia in England ODI Series 2010

England v Australia, 1st ODI, Natwest Series at The Rose Bowl, 22 June 2010.


England  268 for 6  (Morgan 103,  Harris 3-42) beat Australia 267  for 7 (Clarke 87) by  4 wickets.

Anchor
Michael Clarke dropped anchor for Australia to help the tourists post a competitive 267 for 7. He hit some sweet drives and blows through the covers but an inability to accelerate his innings in the final overs proved critical, especially when you consider the match-winning efforts of England's anchor Eoin Morgan in reply. Two wickets a piece for Broad, Anderson and Yardy meant the Aussies never settled into a partnership with Clarke very much the backbone of a less-than-fluent batting effort by Ricky Ponting's men.

Saviour
In much the same fashion as Australia, England's batting heavyweights all got in and got out with the exception of one man, for the tourists it was Clarke and for England it was Eoin Morgan. As a result the difference between the two sides largely rested on how each man went about his task. For Clarke it was setting up a challenging total, and whilst he batted through until the 50th over 87 runs from 97 deliveries highlighted Clarke's inability push the run rate up above six an over. Conversely Morgan maintained a steady strike rate throughout, manipulating the Aussie bowlers with shots all around the park before crashing his second boundary of the 46th over to seal a win for England and a magnificent century for Morgan who rightly bagged the Man of the Match award.

England v Australia, 2nd ODI, Natwest Series at Sophia Gardens, 24 June 2010.

England 243 for 6 (Strauss 51, Bollinger 3-46) beat Australia 239 for 7 (White 86, Broad 4-44) by 4 wickets.

Applying the Brakes
Stuart Broad reached 100 one day wickets in this the second ODI between England and Australia at Cardiff, and chipped in with a further three key wickets to help restrict the Aussies to a mediocre 239 in their 50 overs. After a bright start for the batting side Broad made a timely breakthrough drawing Tim Paine into a shot down the leg side three balls into the bowling powerplay. Four overs later and having dragged his length back a fraction he was rewarded with the prized wicket of Ponting who was lured into a an uncomfortable shot outside offstump edging to keeper Kieswetter. With the captain back in the changing room Broad went about cutting his deputy down to size. A well directed bouncer proved too tricky for Clarke to safely manouvre out of danger and the ball clipped his glove and ballooned tamely to a grateful Graeme Swann at short leg. Broad capped off the landmark occasion with the wicket of Steven Smith who had looked good for his 41 from 53 deliveries, but Broad halted any ambitions Smith may have had of a half century with five overs remaining, a fatal blow that typified a lacklustre performance by the touring team.

Team Effort
In reply England's batsman combined well to cruise to victory with just under five overs remaining. With the exception of Kieswetter all the seven other batsman called upon reached double figures, captain Strauss and man-of-the-moment Morgan both passing fifty. Pietersen played well for his 33 and was only to be undone by a brilliant catch from Ricky Ponting on the edge of the ring. Paul Collingwood was dismissed two short of his half century after clattering two fours and two sixes in his innings before Graeme Swann finished the job in style with a flat six over long off.


England v Australia, 3rd ODI, Natwest Series at Old Trafford, 27 June 2010.

England 214 for 9 (Strauss 87, Bollinger 3-20) beat Australia 212 (Watson 61, Swann 4-37) by 1 wicket.

Off Break(through)
Graeme Swann pegged back the Australian top and middle order as England succeeded in keeping the opposition batsman under wraps. Ricky Ponting, whose problems against offspin have been well documented, was first to succumb to the dip and guile of Swann, drawn out of his crease only to waft into thin air leaving Kieswetter to gratefully remove the bails. Top scorer Watson was next to go Swann extracting some extra bounce from the wicket that caught Watson off guard as a simple leg side tickle was sent airborne and gobbled up at square leg by the captain. Strauss was in action again for Chin's third wicket taking a catch low to his left at the same position to get rid of big-hitter Cameron White. Swann's haul was complete when Clarke picked out Ian Bell at long off, the offspinner the only man to make inroads during the 'middle overs' helping England peg Australia back from 93 for 1 to 169 for 5 in the space of twenty overs.

Captain's Knock
A methodical 87 from captain Andrew Strauss proved vital as England narrowly stuttered over the line in a tense run chase at Manchester. An unflappable innings that only served to reinforce Strauss's credentials as 50 over captain. He was unable to reach what would have been a deserved hundred and see the innings to its finale but that was not a rarity in the England chase. The resolve of Strauss to put his team within touching distance of victory as apposed to Ponting  who absorbed 16 balls for his 3 before charging recklessly only to be stumped, was a telling statistic as England notched up an unassailable 3-0 lead with two to play.

England v Australia, 4th ODI, Natwest Series at Kennington Oval, 30 June 2010.

Australia 290 for 5 (Clarke 99, Ponting 92) beat England 212 (Yardy 57, Harris 5-32) by 78 runs.

Two Significant Figures
As Australia marched out to bat first for the fourth time this series Ricky Ponting would have been hoping for an improvement on the sub-par totals of the three matches previous that had allowed England to get their hands on the trophy in the shortest time possible. It fell on the Aussie captain and vice-captain to dig deep and take their team to a formidable total. Ponting, who has been very much the lesser captain in the series so far, seemed to break free from the shackles of Old Trafford and played with great assurance and zeal, in particular off the back foot through his favoured on side. Clarke was equally fluent and James Anderson must have been ruing his dropped catch at cover when Clarke was only on 5. With both men in fine fettle Ponting called for the batting Powerplay in the 43rd over only to haul out to a leaping Strauss at extra cover off Jimmy's first ball, walking back eight short of another one day ton. Clarke was less reckless and his inability to pierce the field in the latter overs was again put into focus. A single from the first ball of the 50th over meant he had to watch while Steven Smith faced the remainder of the over leaving him stranded on 99 not out, the ninth player in ODI history to remain unbeaten one short of a hundred.

Fiery Five-For
A fired up Ryan Harris claimed the Man of the Match award terrorising England's batsman in a woeful display at the Oval. His intentions were clear when he bagged Craig Kieswetter early on, the England keeper again victim to a ball nipping back off the seam clattering into his off stump, Harris giving the opener a good old-fashioned Aussie send off. In his next over Harris speared a bowl ominously towards Pietersen's pads trapping him successfully in front, KP was not happy but replays showed he had no reason to complain -twas plum! Harris then extracted the dangerous Morgan, who had already hit three sixes on his way to 47, the Irishman drawn into a faint edge through to keeper Tim Paine. Bresnan, who had sealed a series victory for his side in the game previous, was next to go picking out Watson on the boundary edge, and Harris's haul was complete when Stuart Broad chipped tamely to Mike Hussey at cover. Australia had broken their duck and would be looking to increase their respectability with another victory when they travel to Lords for the final encounter between these sides before the Ashes this winter.

England v Australia, 5th ODI, Natwest Series at Lords, 3 July 2010.

Australia 277 for 7 (Hussey 79, Broad 4-64) beat England 235 (Collingwood 95, Tait 4-48) by 42 runs.

Throwing Caution to the Wind
79 runs from 60 balls and a 115 run partnership with Shaun Marsh in the final over and Michael Hussey had thrust Australia from a reasonable position to one of complete dominance. Mr Cricket was in fine form crashing two sixes and five fours but it was his ability to pick gaps in the field and push for those vital twos and threes that frustrated England's bowlers at the death. Hussey was finally dismissed three balls before the end of the innings but his lower order heroics had made a lasting impact Australia closing on 277 for 7 in 50 overs having been 162 for 4 going into the final ten overs.

Raw Pace
As the fruity baritone of Michael Holding has preached for years there is no replacement for 'real' pace and when Shaun Tait broke the 100mph barrier England wickets started to tumble. It takes a good bowler to get through the defence's of the England captain, and it takes a truly great spell of bowling to send Strauss's offstump cartwheeling out of the ground and that was exactly how Tait opened his account. With England requiring nearly six an over Michael Yardy was 'sent in to push the tempo'! Unsurprisingly Yardy was back in the pen two balls after his introduction, again Tait honing in on the stumps and hitting his target with supreme accuracy. Tait was then called upon as England entered the final 10 overs, Collingwood and having made his way into the nineties held any England hope of an unlikely victory, but Tait was on hand to suitably spoil the show removing the leg stump as Collingwood advanced down the wicket trying to keep in touch with the ever-increasing run rate. Swann was last to go and it was Tait again catching the England tweaker offguard with a well disguised slower ball. Final figures of 4 for 48 earned the Aussie fast bowler a man of the match award and Australia had clawed back to a far more respectful 3-2 defeat in an entertaining series of top notch cricket.

England v New Zealand, ICC World Twenty20 2010, Group E, Gros Islet

England 153 for 7 (Morgan 40) beat New Zealand 149 for 6 (Taylor 44) by three wickets 


Having booked their place in the semi-finals before bowling a single ball thanks to Pakistan's earlier victory over South Africa, England could have been forgiven for taking their foot off the gas against New Zealand. But such is their confidence at the moment that even in the absence of Kevin Pietersen who flew home for the birth of his child after the last game, England were still able to outmanoeuvre a New Zealand side in need of a win if they were to progress further in the tournament.


England's performances in this years World Twenty20 are beginning to follow a pattern. With such an array of bowling options at Paul Collingwood's disposal, England's ability to stem the flow of runs has become unrivalled in the competition so far. This combined with a refreshingly liberal approach to the crucial Powerplay overs has seen England come into their own in the most unlikely of formats.


Tim Bresnan is a fine example of the balance to England's set-up at present. After a tight first spell of 1 for 20 in four consecutive overs restricting the Kiwis to 39 for 1 from the first six overs, it would later be Bresnan who would finish things off for his team with a brisk 23 from 11 balls.


Brendan McCullum, who survived Bresnan's impeccable line and length first up, tried to remain positive but England's spin duo of Graeme Swan and Michael Yardy had other ideas. They managed to frustrate the New Zealand opener with some well-disciplined spin bowling and it was not long before the pressure got to McCullum, stepping down the wicket to Swann lofting the ball into the clouds only to be caught by Michael Lumb on the boundary edge, departing for 33 from 32 balls.


Slumping to 68 for 3 from 11 overs and with their tournament hopes at stake, New Zealand needed a positive response and it came from Scott Styris and Ross Taylor who added 62 in 41 balls to give their side a fighting chance. As the innings drew to a close New Zealand looked to clear the ropes and consequently lost wickets. Styris caught at deep cover, and after only two legitimate deliveries Kiwi keeper Gareth Hopkins was clean bowled for 1. Taylor almost remained until the finale but skied a Ryan Sidebottom delivery to deep midwicket where Bresnan took a comfortable catch. His 44 however was the stand out innings as New Zealand posted 149 for 6 in their 20 overs.

Michael Lumb set the tone of the England innings blasting his team to 57 for 1 from the Powerplay overs

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With Pietersen at home awaiting the birth of his baby boy it was up to England's new-look opening pair of Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb to keep above the run-rate - no problem! Kieswetter belted a four and a six in the first over bowled by Nathan McCullum, but soon departed for 15. Whilst Lumb took advantage of Shane Bond's extra yard of pace smashing 19 of his first two overs, including a plethora of enterprising boundaries. Kieswetter and Lumb's efforts saw England power to 57 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay overs, 18 runs better than their opponents at the same stage.


In dire need of control, Daniel Vettori brought himself on in tandem with Styris, and the wily twosome pegged England back at least momentarily. Styris struck first dismissing Ravi Bopara and three balls later it was Vettori's turn, having been smashed for 11 off his first over by Lumb, the spectacled slow left-armer had his revenge drawing the batsman into a mistimed sweep shot with a flighted delivery that trapped him plumb in front for 32. Paul Collingwood completed New Zealand's fightback with a typical nurdle to a Styris cutter that was gobbled up by Brendan McCullum at midwicket.


However, despite Vettori and Styris's best efforts, once again Eoin Morgan and Luke Wright combined to put together a match-altering partnership. A stand of 52 from 38 balls between the youthful pair guided England to within sight of the finishing line on 117 for 4 with a full seven overs to come. The re-introduction of Bond proved too much for Wright, and soon enough Morgan was dismissed for 40 from 34 balls to diving Vettori at midwicket. But even the swift loss of Michael Yardy could not save the Kiwis, as Bresnan proved his credentials as an all-rounder hitting the winning runs and securing a three wicket victory. 

England v Ireland, ICC World Twenty20 2010, Group D, Providence

England 120 for 8 (Morgan 45) v Ireland 14 for 1 - match abandoned


Having been robbed of an opening victory against the hosts a mere 24 hours beforehand, England fans would have been hoping that Paul Collingwood and his new-look Twenty20 outfit could shun the disappointment of the night before, and instead build upon what was an authoritative performance with the bat. Sadly it was not be, and in a deserved reversal of fortune it was the weather that this time came to rescue England and send them narrowly through to the Super Eights.


Be it the complacency that so often comes as favourites, or a knock in confidence over the last day, England were a mere shadow of the enterprising team that had outclassed a far more intimidating West Indies bowling unit only a game ago. Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb were unable to inject a similar impetus to the start of the innings -  Lumb undone by a tame leg-side long-hop, an identical delivery to that which he had sent crashing to the boundary twice in the previous over, only to be caught out by Boyd Rankin at short backward square from the first ball of Kevin O Brien's spell. Moreover, Kieswetter in an effort to force the pace was rightfully sent back by Kevin Pietersen attempting a suicidal single, only to be given out by the third umpire.


Pietersen was made to endure another failure thanks to his perpetual nemesis - left-arm spin! 17-year-old tweaker George Dockrell, obviously having done his homework on the flamboyant No. 3, was able to practically replicate K.P's dismissal against the West Indies. England's innings at the halfway mark was floundering at 49 for 4, and it was up to Eoin Morgan, an Irishmen in English colours, to help his adopted nation post a worthy total against his motherland. The prospect of scoring runs against Ireland appeared to inspire Morgan and he went on to top score with a gritty 45 in England's decidedly mediocre 120 for 8. Unable to find willing partners, Morgan's own brand of inventive opportunism forced the Irish bowlers out of rhythm with cuts and sweeps aplenty.

Eoin Morgan found some much-needed inspiration against his former team-mates

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Amongst England's stuttering efforts with the bat Trent Johnston proved his worth as the spearhead in Ireland's wily attack. On a sluggish pitch in Providence Johnston bagged four scalps whilst only leaking a paltry 14 runs in his four over spell and a solitary boundary off the bat of Michael Lumb. His ability to hit a length on demand proved frustrating for England who notoriously prefer pace on the ball. Johnston's team mates backed him up ably, and as England closed in on 20 overs it was the Lions tail-end that were left desperately fighting to put precious runs on the board.


Ireland's miserliness with the cherry in hand meant England, who had witnessed the Irish bowling effort from the pavilion, would have to be right on the money from ball one. Tim Bresnan and Ryan Sidebottom steadied early nerves conceding only four runs from eight deliveries before the rain arrived and a 30-minute delay ensued. Four balls after the resumption Paul Stirling was removed for a duck, but Niall O'Brien then smashed two fours in a row to improve Ireland's chances of a favourable Duckworth-Lewis calculation.


As it was the players did not return to the field and England escaped humiliation, progressing to the Super Eights courtesy of their superior run-rate. Paul Collingwood will be hoping that this remains only a minor hiccup on their road to bagging a first trophy in their World Cup history. With his side obviously dripping with potential, Colly's men will certainly need to turn up the heat as they look to take on the reigning champions in Barbados in two days time. 

England v West Indies, ICC World Twenty20 2010, Group D, Providence

West Indies 60 for 2 (Gayle 25) beat England 191 for 5 (Morgan 55, Wright 45*) - D/L method

Messrs Duckworth and Lewis caused major controversy in England's rain-affected opening group game of the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 against West Indies at Providence, with England robbed of what appeared to be a likely victory. Having amassed 191 for 5, arguably their finest batting display in the history of the format, West Indies were set a revised, and frankly less-than-challenging 60 from 6 overs which Chris Gayle and company knocked off just in the knick of time. The tourists were dealt a cruelly ironic blow having travelled halfway around the world hoping to escape  a typically English start to the summer it seemed the rain-clouds had followed them across the Atlantic and England were ultimately undone by an all-too-familiar foe.


Credit though must go to Gayle who took full advantage of the surprisingly fortunate position his team found themselves in, and his timely assault on England's opening bowlers proved decisive for the host-nation. Ryan Sidebottom was milked for 15 runs from an opening over in which the shaggy-haired Nottinghamshire seamer beat the outside edge three times and even caught the splice of the willow, only to sacrifice his line and length to Gayle who obliged with a four and a six in succession. Shivnarine Chanderpaul ably assisted his captain sweeping Graeme Swann for six seeing his team to 30 from 2.2 overs, and effectively ending England's hopes of a victory.

England's nemesis comes back to haunt them in their opening fixture

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Earlier a new-look England team had produced a truly refreshing display of limited overs batting. Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb (fresh from the IPL) provided aggression from ball one, with scores of 26 from 14 and 28 from 18 respectively, their only failure was that they did not go on to make substantial contributions. Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen were less fluent as Nikita Miller and Darren Sammy were able to put a brief strangle hold on the England charge.


The turning point of the match came at the halfway point. With the score reading 88 for 4 Eoin Morgan and Luke Wright found themselves together at the crease, and after five overs of careful accumulation the shackles were broken in the final five. Kieron Pollard's figures were demolished by the Sussex pinch-hitter, smashing one over - including two sixes. Morgan was equally impressive as he dealt with Dwayne Bravo creaming a four straight down the ground, before sweeping him over backward square leg for six, as the 50 partnership came up in 6.5 overs.


Wright and Morgan were not done yet and Ravi Rampaul who had leaked 25 runs in his first 2 overs was then blasted to all parts for 27 from his third and final over - the destructive duo sharing three sixes in the over. Morgan went on to bring up his half-century from a meagre 32 balls, finally succumbing to Pollard four balls from the end. Wright however continued to dominate and remained unbeaten on 45. Collingwood's men had posted their finest batting display in their Twenty20 history and fans will be hoping that the team can still take much-deserved confidence from this harshest of defeats.

Bangladesh v England, 2nd ODI, Mirpur

England 261 for 8 (Morgan 110*, Cook 60, Shakib 3-32, Razzak 3-52) beat Bangladesh 260 for 6 (Rahim 76, Kayes 63, Bresnan 3-51) by two wickets


After a relatively routine victory only days before England were subjected to a far greater examination in their second outing in Dhaka, and it fell to a steely Eoin Morgan to see the tourists home. Morgan was unflappable on his way to an unbeaten 110, and proved without doubt that his repertoire extended beyond cheeky reverse sweeps and spirited middle-order counter attacks.


England had failed to find a real cutting edge against the Tigers as Mushfiqur Rahim's wonderfully paced 76 paved the way for those around him as they posted a competitive 260 for 6 in their 50 overs. Rahim was ably supported by Imrul Kayes as he dropped anchor allowing for his more fluent partner to keep the board ticking. After Paul Collingwood completed a vintage catch to his right off the bowling of Graeme Swann the Bangladeshi batsman continued to frustrate the English attack.


Contributions down the order from Mahmudullah, Naeem Islam, and Suhrawadi Shuvo meant that only Luke Wright, who was given a full nine overs as Stuart Broad struggled with injury, was able to keep his economy below 5 runs an over. So at the half-way stage many inside the Shere Bangla National Stadium may have felt that this was Bangladesh's chance to level the series and set up a decider in Chittagong, all that was required was some tight bowing and they were certainly in with sniff.

Morgan showed great versatility constructing a crucial century to save England from defeat.

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And the scent of victory wafted ever-nearer as Craig Kieswetter and Kevin Pietersen were dismissed in single figures, the former caught low in the slips after advancing down the pitch to Shafiul Islam, whilst KP was not for the first time undone by slow left arm spin, playing all round a ball fro Abdur Razzak only to be struck plumb on the back leg. Things went from bad to worse as Razzak claimed his second victim, Collingwood, so impressive in his last outing again trapped in front attempting a dubious sweep, and when the captain Alastair Cook trudged off for a well crafted, but ultimately inadequate 60 from 61 balls England were in serious doo-doo. Enter Eoin Morgan.


Morgan together with Matt Prior managed to restore some order to England's chase, and a partnership of 90 swung the pendulum firmyl back in the tourists's favour. Even a lacklustre lower order display from the likes of Wright and Tim Bresnan could do little to deter Morgan who moved gracefully onto his maiden ODI century in England colours. The Bangladeshi bowlers had no answer to Morgan's ability to hit all round the wicket and alongside débutante James Tredwell England got over the line with an unlikely 7 balls to spare.


The dogged Irishman was rightfully handed the man-of-the-match for his efforts, and applauded by his team mates as he left the field. each and every one of them breathing a sigh of relief as on another day it could have been a very different story.

England v Pakistan, 1st Twenty20, Dubai.

England 130 for 3 (Morgan 67*, Pietersen 43*) beat Pakistan 129 for 8 (Malik 33) by seven wickets

England began their journey towards the Twenty20 World Cup in rather inauspicious circumstances at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Both teams came into the game following rather uninspiring build-ups, England who suffered a last ball defeat to the Lions courtesy of the ever-improving Craig Kieswetter, and Pakistan with only six players remaining from their triumphant Twenty20 World Cup campaign, hampered by the suspension of Shahid Afridi.

On a flat looking track Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. Unfortunately for Malik's men the pitch offered much more than initial omens suggested and Pakistan's top four faulted. After some tight, probing work from Ryan Sidebottom and Tim Bresnan, Imran Nazir finally hauled out to Joe Denly at deep square-leg after a trio of short pitched deliveries from a freshly shaven Stuart Broad. Some sharp work from the more rugged Kevin Pietersen had Imran Farhat ran out shortly after as Pakistan continued to struggle to score.

Luke Wright piled on the misery as the decidedly edgy Khalid Latif edged behind to Matt Prior for only 4. Following a disastrous series in Australia with the gloves Kamran Akmal was forced to watch his brother Umar from the sidelines. And after a brief flurry of boundaries it took a wonderful catch from Broad to dislodge him, Graeme Swann's fine form transferring effortlessly into the shorter format.

Despite their slowest ever start to a Twenty20 International Shoaib Malik and Fawad Alam put on 47 for the fifth wicket. Malik led from the front and began to rebuild, using his feet to Swann and smacking Wright for two consecutive fours. Swann returned for his second over only to produce another timely breakthrough, Malik departing for 33. Old hand replaced old hand as Abdul Razzaq maintained Pakistan's momentum, bludgeoning a Broad long hop for six. The Nottinghamshire paceman however soon found his length, Fawad undone by a well directed short ball managing to find the edge of the youngster's flailing willow.

England however regained full control as Pakistan struggled to set a competitive total. Sarfraz Ahmed's gorgeous slog-sweep was a rare moment of class amongst some decidedly average batting. Bresnan and Broad combining twice to prevent any real flourish in the final overs. Pakistan finally crept to 129 for 8, their batsmen never really able to stamp their authority on the game.

England's bowlers put in a great all-round performance to restrict Pakistan.

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Despite a below-par total, early breakthroughs by Abdul Razzaq and Yasir Arafat saw England slump to 18 for 3 in 4.2 overs, and for a brief moment the game was on again - but the moment was indeed very brief. Enter Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan. Off the back of a disappointing series in South Africa, KP was looking to let his hair down, whilst Morgan, whose all round performances have shown signs of brilliance over the past year, was out to cement his place in the conveyor-belt that is the England one day side.

A nine-ball over from Malik helped Pietersen to settle into his stride, and from there on in it was very comfortable for England. Umar Gul, dubbed the most economical bowler in international "T20" failed to live up to his reputation and struggled to find a workable length - even his viscous yorkers deceiving him at the vital moments. England soon strolled home thanks to wonderful trio of boundaries from Morgan, finishing the chase with a crunching six ten rows back.

It was a night for Pakistan to forget - their bowlers failed to take advantage of a pitch that offered some variable bounce, and their batsmen lacked the composure and maturity to set up a decent score. England on the other hand will take a lot from this victory - in particular the return to form of Pietersen, who will undoubtedly will be pivotal to England's success in the Caribbean this Spring.