England Throw Away The First Test

England collapsed on the final day of the First Test to hand Pakistan a 22-run victory in Multan.

Resuming on 24-1, Marcus Trescothick's side needed just 174 runs from nine wickets to go one up in the three-match series.

The early part of the day had belonged to England. and they made a lively start thanks to Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell, who added a quick 40 and were on the brink of persuading Pakistan that the game was beyond them when Bell chose the wrong ball to cut and was caught behind off Kaneria for 31. Strauss followed, and when Mohammad Sami dispatched Paul Collingwood, England had lost three wickets in eight balls.

Pakistan began to feel the game was winnable even though England still had plenty of batting to come, then came the collapse Andrew Flintoff swept Kaneria to deep square-leg and then three overs later Kevin Pietersen, who had swung the leg-spinner for six, chased a wide delivery from Sami to provide Kamran Akmal with a simple catch.

Shoaib produced an absolute pearler to knock out Giles's , bit by bit they chiselled out 49 runs for the eighth wicket to reduce the target to 32 runs. But Jones, as so often, stayed back when he should have been forward and was bowled by Shoaib for 33. Two balls later Udal was gone.

Harmison took two boundaries off Shoaib, but the last pair were always going to struggle to score 32 and Shoaib rounded things off with a clever slower ball and a jubilant swoop for the a souvenir stump