Cricket story by Carl Anders, Thu, 08 Dec 2005 14:16:00 GMT


LAHORE, Pakistan - England's miserable winter tour to Pakistan continued to be gloomy as the tourists slipped to a one-wicket loss to Pakistan A at the Bagh-e-Jinnah Stadium in Lahore yesterday.

Andrew Strauss, back after missing the third test to be at the birth of his first child, led the side as Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison were all rested. England batted first on what looked like a batting pitch and immediately Strauss was back in the pavilion.

He has had a forgettable tour so far and surely his place must be in doubt especially after Sussex wicketkeeper Matthew Prior staked a strong claim by slamming 72 precious runs. He was supported ably by the in-form Paul Collingwood, who remained unbeaten on 75 as he underlined his utility value to this England team. Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Kabir Ali all fell cheaply, but Collingwood guided England to 236 for seven off their 45 overs.

James Anderson had a stellar match and he was among the wickets almost immediately as Pakistan A looked to overcome the moderate target. Bazid Khan (90 not out) and Raffatullah Mohammed (55) played excellent innings even as Anderson kept chipping at the wickets. The result was a close last ball finish, but that is small consolation for England, who embark on a tour to India in a couple of months, where they are sure to encounter similar conditions.

Captain Strauss was positive despite the loss, "I think it's important to realize that three of our biggest players weren't playing. Trescothick, Flintoff and Harmison are three very important players for us in one-day cricket," he commented.

"We will be a stronger side going into the game on Saturday - there is no doubt about that." He added that the team had not played one-day matches for quite sometime, so there was bound to be some rustiness.

Match Summary
England 236 for seven
Lost to
Pakistan A 239 for nine

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