England beat Pakistan by 24 runs
CRICKET: CHESTER-LE-STREET, United Kingdom, Sept 11 (AFP) -
England cruised to a 24-run win over embattled Pakistan thanks to a
tempo-setting display from Steve Davies in the first match of the
one-day international series at the Riverside on Friday.
Davies was drafted into the England side in place of
wicketkeeper-batsman Craig Kieswetter and he seized the opportunity to
cement his place at the top of the order with 13 fours in a devastating
innings of 87 from 67 balls.
Umar Gul and debutant Mohammad Irfan bore the brunt of Davies's
onslaught as England reached 274 for six from a rain-reduced 41 overs
after a two-hour delay caused by a wet outfield.
Jonathan Trott weighed in with 69 from 78 balls and captain Andrew
Strauss hit 41, while only off-spinner Saeed Ajmal managed to put
England under pressure as he took four for 58.
Pakistan never seriously threatened to chase down that target as
England's bowlers kept the tourists on a tight leash, with Kamran
Akmal's 53 and a quick-fire 43 from Umar Akmal in their total of 250-9.
In the end, Pakistan could be relatively satisfied that they put up a
decent fight after so many abject defeats on their nightmare tour.
Strauss said: "Steve Davies was outstanding with the bat and got us
off to a flying start. Our score was very competitive on this wicket. |
