Anderson puts clamps on Pakistan

James Anderson (left)
12 April 2012

James Anderson's bowling personified England's efficiency as they restricted Pakistan to an under-par 241 all out in Friday's third NatWest Series match.

Only Fawad Alam - with a career-best 64 - managed a half-century on a pitch which displayed most of the Brit Oval's typical shot-making characteristics.

Anderson was especially effective with the new ball and was rewarded with impressive figures of 10-2-26-3. He and Tim Bresnan (three for 51) saw off both openers for six runs between them inside three overs, and lynchpin Mohammad Yousuf was also soon out of the equation in a match Shahid Afridi's team must win to avoid a decisive 3-0 deficit in the five-match series.

Pakistan won the toss, on an initially sunny afternoon when both captains would have chosen to bat first - with the lure and obvious value of runs on the board in this day-night fixture.

Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal, who had piled up a century stand in defeat at Headingley, contributed little to their own downfall in Pakistan's nightmare start. Hafeez edged a very good ball from Anderson behind, getting faint contact on one that nipped away off the seam, and his fellow opener was bowled by an innocuous leg-side delivery from Bresnan via a ricochet off the underside of the thigh pad.

Asad Shafiq and Yousuf looked capable of a revival until the veteran was pinned lbw on the back foot by more seam movement from Anderson, this time into the right-hander. Height was an obvious issue, Hawkeye's projection of the ball clipping the off bail providing partial vindication of Billy Doctrove's decision.

Rising star Shafiq then played admirably in company with Alam until he failed to clear long-off as he tried to hit Swann for a straight six to the pavilion end.

Umar Akmal could manage only a frenetic 14 before the returning Bresnan followed him with a short ball and induced a mis-hook. But Pakistan still had at least two big guns to fire - and the first, Afridi, threatened to deliver in a useful sixth-wicket stand with Alam.

The wheels soon came off again, though, Alam's hard-working 86-ball innings ending when he speared a head-high catch to extra-cover off Michael Yardy. Then Afridi, who had hit Swann for one memorable straight six, was haplessly run out when he failed to ground his bat properly at the non-striker's end.

Pakistan therefore already had seven wickets down before the last 10 overs - with their powerplay still not taken - and by the time the fielding restrictions had to apply in the last five, they had all but run out of batsmen who could take advantage.

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