BIRMINGHAM, Aug 9 (Agencies): England recovered from the early loss of Alastair Cook to register a thumping 9-wicket victory over Pakistan in the npower series at Edgbaston.
Earlier, Pakistan�s second innings finished on 296 all out, in only the second over of a sunny fourth day when number 11 Mohammad Asif was last out.
England�s pursuit then reached an unconvincing 23 for one, with an hour to go to lunch, on a surface where low bounce � and turn for off-spinner Saeed Ajmal � had become the main dangers. The hosts had already got off to an awkward start when Cook continued his run of poor form, stuck on the crease to Mohammad Aamer and bowled by one he would surely have intercepted somehow if he had got forward. Apart from the early jolt to England�s confidence, and boost for Pakistan�s, Cook�s seventh successive Test score under 30 - since his hundred in Dhaka five months ago - added to the ongoing concern about the opener�s poor productivity.
SCORECARD
Pakistan 1st innings: 72.
England 1st innings: 251.
Pakistan 2nd innings: Imran Farhat b Swann 29, Salman Butt c Strauss b Anderson 0, Azhar Ali b Swann 19, Shoaib Malik c Prior b Finn 3, Umar Akmal lbw b Swann 20, Umar Amin st Prior b Swann 14, Zulqarnain Haider c Strauss b Swann 88, Mohammad Amir c Strauss b Broad 16, Saeed Ajmal c Collingwood b Swann 50, Umar Gul not out 13, Mohammad Asif c Pietersen b Broad 14. Extras: (b 16, lb 14) 30. Total: (all out; 117.5 overs) 296. Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-53, 3-54, 4-76, 5-82, 6-101, 7-153, 8-268, 9-269, 10-296. Bowling: Anderson 28-13-62-1, Broad 28.5-8-66-2, Finn 16-5-57-1, Swann 37-20-65-6, Collingwood 7-2-14-0, Pietersen 1-0-2-0.
England 2nd innings: Strauss not out 53, Cook b Mohammad Amir 4, Trott not out 53. Extras: (b 5, nb 3) 8. Total: (1 wicket; 36.3 overs) 118. Fall of wickets: 1-7. Bowling: Mohammad Amir 11-1-31-1, Mohammad Asif 6-0-20-0, Saeed Ajmal 14.3-1-42-0, Shoaib Malik 5-0-20-0.
