| Ground: | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi |
| Scorecard: | Pakistan v England |
| Event: | England in Pakistan 2005/06 |
DateLine: 21st December 2005
Paceman James Anderson took four wickets to author England's narrow six-run win over Pakistan in the fifth and final match here Wednesday but the hosts clinched the five-match series 3-2.
England, who won the first match, managed 206-9 in their allotted 50 overs and then restricted Pakistan to 200-9 in their 50 overs.
England, who came here on the back of their Ashes win over Australia, earlier lost the three-Test series 2-0, and lost three consecutive one-day matches before ending the tour with a win against a reshuffled Pakistan.
Besides Anderson, left-arm-spinner Ian Blackwell took three wickets.
Chasing a modest target, Pakistan lost openers Salman Butt (six) and Kamran Akmal (11) by the seventh over, but recalled Yasir Hameed (57) and Mohammad Yousuf (54) put Pakistan back on track.
Hameed-Yousuf stand yielded 101 and brought Pakistan within 85 runs of victory before England hit back by claiming eight wickets in the space of 78 runs.
Veteran Shaun Udal provided the tourists with the breakthrough, enticing Hameed to step out and had him stumped by wicket-keeper Geraint Jones and that opened the gates.
Blackwell then accounted for stand-in captain Younis Khan (15), Yousuf and Shoaib Malik (eight) in the space of 12 balls to derail Pakistan to 170-7.
Anderson further hit the home team by dismissing Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq (four each) and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (13) before Pakistan failed to score 11 in the last over.
When England batted they lost openers Marcus Trescothick (one) and Matthew Prior (nine) with the score reading 21.
Asif, who turned 23 on Tuesday and was one of three changes Pakistan made to rest their players, then accounted for Matthew Prior (nine) in his third over as the batsman flicked straight into the hands of square-leg.
England had crawled to 52 before off-spinner Arshad Khan deceived Andrew Strauss in the air and had him stumped by wicket-keeper Akmal for 26.
Vikram Solanki, who top-scored with 49, added 65 runs for the fourth wicket Andrew Flintoff (39) but they consumed 108 balls as England failed to get beyond four runs an over rate.
Solanki miscued a drive off leg-spinner Afridi and was caught in the covers. He hit six boundaries during his 86-ball knock.
Naved-ul-Hasan then claimed Flintoff and Ian Blackwell off successive deliveries before Geraint Jones (three) and Paul Collingwood (33) further added to the tourists' misery with sloppy run outs.
Flintoff, who played only as a batsman due to a sore ankle, hit three boundaries and a six in his 73-ball knock.
In a late-order charge Liam Plunkett hit three boundaries and a six in his 12-ball 24 to take England past 200.
Asif finished with 2-14 off seven overs before being surprisingly replaced by super-sub Danish Kaneria.
Pakistan rested their captain Inzamam-ul-Haq after he strained his groin during Pakistan's 13-run win in the fourth match here on Monday.
Younis Khan, who led Pakistan to victory against the West Indies in his only one-day match as captain early this year, took over the captaincy. Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami (both rested) made way for Asif and Yasir Hameed.
England dropped Kabir Ali (back problem) and Ian Bell, and brought in paceman Steve Harmison and Shaun Udal.
(Article: Copyright © 2005 AFP)
