Wisden
4th One-Day International, Rawalpindi

Pakistan v England

Simon Briggs

At Rawalpindi, December 19, 2005 (day/night). Pakistan won by 13 runs. Toss: Pakistan.

Pakistan's lime-green machine rolled on to their tenth win in 11 one-day internationals. Inzamamul- Haq took the match award for a masterful unbeaten 81, on an awkward pitch and against a tight-knit attack who regrouped well after Karachi. Plunkett again made an impact, dismissing the two biggest hitters in successive balls, but England found no way past Inzamam, who concentrated on playing the ball as late as possible. It was a skill none of their own specialist batsmen replicated: four of the top six missed double figures and, with eight wickets down and 97 required, the game seemed to be up. There was a twist, however. Blackwell and Kabir Ali made batting look almost serene in a ninth-wicket stand of 50. Then Blackwell ran himself out gormlessly with a single to mid-on. Even then, last man Anderson - who had replaced Bell at the very start of the match - helped Kabir add another 33 before carving Shoaib Akhtar to slip.

Man of the Match: Inzamam-ul-Haq.

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