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Akmal stars again as England crash to record defeat
by AFP


Ground:National Stadium, Karachi
Scorecard:Pakistan v England
Player:Kamran Akmal
Event:England in Pakistan 2005/06

DateLine: 15th December 2005

 

Kamran Akmal smashed his second successive one-day century to help Pakistan hand England a crushing 165-run defeat in the third day-night limited-overs international here on Thursday.

 

Akmal followed his 102 in the second match with a brilliant 109 and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq hit an unbeaten 22-ball 51 as England conceded their highest ever one-day total of 353-6 in 50 overs.

 

England never looked remotely in the hunt and lost wickets at regular intervals. They were dismissed for 188 in 42 overs, supersub Ian Bell topscoring with 37 not out, as Pakistan took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

 

England's second heavy loss in a row equalled their previous worst one-day defeat of 165 runs against the West Indies at St. Vincent in 1993-94, and came after their comprehensive 2-0 beating in the Test series.

 

The tourists lost opener Matthew Prior (two) in the seventh over when fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar picked up Marcus Trescothick's drive and threw the stumps down at the non-striker's end.

 

Rana Naved-ul-Hasan then removed Trescothick (22) and Vikram Solanki (nought) in his fourth over to leave England struggling on 40-3.

 

It became 79-4 when Mohammad Sami trapped Andrew Strauss leg before for 23. All-rounder Andrew Flintoff hit seven boundaries in his 36 before he was bowled by supersub Yasir Arafat.

 

Leg-spinner Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik then shared five wickets between them to wrap up the innings on a day dominated by Pakistan.

 

"It is disappointing to lose two matches in a row after winning the first," said England captain Trescothick.

 

"We conceded too many runs and it was not easy to chase 350-plus target when you lose wickets at regular intervals."

 

Pakistan's skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq warned against complacency after another dominant display.

 

"We have won two matches but the series is not yet over. We need to keep the momentum going if we want to win the series," he said.

 

Akmal had added 104 for the third wicket with Mohammad Yousuf (68) after Trescothick surprisingly put them in on a pitch full of runs.

 

The 22-year-old, whose century helped Pakistan win Monday's second match at Lahore by seven wickets, laid the cornerstone for a big total by giving them a flying start of 74 with Salman Butt (29).

 

Akmal, who survived a caught-and-bowled chance off Paul Collingwood, struck 12 boundaries off 111 balls to notch up his third one-day hundred before holing out at long-on with a tired shot, again off Collingwood.

 

His fall brought in popular all-rounder Shahid Afridi, returning from a three-match ban for damaging the pitch during the Test series, who delighted the 33,000 crowd with a rapid-fire 31 off 14 balls.

 

Afridi hit three fours and two sixes before being run out in a mix-up with Yousuf.

 

Yousuf suffered the same fate five overs later after hitting seven boundaries during his 65-ball knock. But his fall opened the way for a late-order flurry as Pakistan creamed 109 off the last 10 overs.

 

Razzaq hit five fours and three sixes during his brisk 51, while Inzamam smacked four boundaries and a six as the pair added 78 off just 39 balls to scuttle a hapless England attack.

 

Plunkett was the best of England's bowlers, taking two wickets for 61 off seven overs. James Anderson was hit for 72 off his 10 and Steve Harmison 62 off his eight.

 

England brought Vikram Solanki in for big-hitting Kevin Pietersen who returned home after suffering back and ribcage problems.

 

The match was played under tight security with more than 3,000 policemen and paramilitary troops cordoning off the ground. England, who refused to play a Test here, had asked for extra protection in the violence-prone city.

 

The previous highest total conceded by England in all one-day internationals was 326-8 made by India at Lord's in 2002.

 

The fourth match will be played at Rawalpindi on Monday.

(Article: Copyright © 2005 AFP)

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