Pakistan Level Series With 38-Run Win At Lord's

Pakistan Level Series With 38-Run Win At Lord's

Pakistan players celebrate the wicket of Stuart Broad, and with it the match at Lord's

©Action Images / Peter Cziborra Livepic

Pakistan 265-7 (Mohammad Hafeez 64, Swann 4-37) beat
England 227 (Strauss 68, Umar Gul 4-32) by 38 runs
Fourth One-Day International, Lord's
Scorecard

Pakistan levelled their five-match One-Day International series with England by winning the fourth match by 38 runs at Lord's to set up a decider at The Rose Bowl.

Pakistan made 265 for seven after Mohammad Hafeez stroked a half-century and Graeme Swann took four wickets for the home side but after making a solid start, England fell away to be dismissed for 227 in reply.

Having won the toss and chosen to bat, Pakistan got off to a good start with Hafeez combining well with opening partner Kamran Akmal (28), who was first to fall when he was caught by Andrew Strauss off Stuart Broad.

Swann then struck to have Asad Shafiq bowled for 11 and Mohammad Yousuf caught behind by Steve Davies for three. Hafeez and Fawad Alam (29) were next to be dismissed, caught by Strauss, and then bowled by the off-spinner who returned four for 37.

Hafeez hit five fours and a six in his innings, facing 100 balls and after Umar Akmal, who made 21, and Shahid Afridi a belligerent 37 in 22 balls, it was left to Abdul Razzaq to finish off the innings with some big hitting and he blasted an unbeaten 44 in 20 deliveries with eight fours and a six.

Broad returned two for 44 with Tim Bresnan the other player to pick up a wicket.

England's openers Davies and Strauss then tore into the Pakistan bowling, racing to 113 in 20 overs before Davies (49) was bowled by off-spinner Saeed Ajmal.

Jonathan Trott (4) was bowled by Shahid Afridi before Strauss cut Shoaib Akhtar to Alam at backward point for a well-constructed 68 in 72 balls.

The returning Paul Collingwood (4) and Ian Bell (27) failed to contribute with the sort of scores England needed to get back in the game and wickets continued to fall as the required run-rate began to rise.

Akhtar (3-59) produced his best spell of the series to dismiss Michael Yardy for nine and then Eoin Morgan for 28 while Umar Gul starred with the old ball once again to return four for 32 and seal victory for Pakistan.

All four of his victims - Collingwood, Bresnan (1), Swann (12) and Broad (2) were bowled as England were dismissed in 46.1 overs.

The decisive match is on 22nd September.

© Cricket World 2010