England v Pakistan, 2006
England v Pakistan, 2006
Julian Guyer
15-Apr-2007
At Bristol, August 28. Pakistan won by five wickets. Toss: England. Twenty20 international debuts:
I. R. Bell, S. C. J. Broad, C. M. W. Read, M. H. Yardy; Pakistan (all).
It took a Twenty20 match, of all things, to restore a sense of cricketing normality after the
events at The Oval. The ECB had placed an International XI on standby, in case Pakistan refused
to complete the tour, but the Pakistanis took the field to achieve a comfortable victory in their
first brush with Twenty20 at this level. The return from injury of Shoaib Akhtar and Naved-ul-
Hasan, alongside Mohammad Asif, added zest to their attack: England lost three wickets in five
balls early on, with Asif snatching two in the first maiden bowled in eight Twenty20 internationals.
Only Trescothick held firm, until he became the first of three victims for Abdul Razzaq. The lively
Broad made a stunning start to his England career, taking two wickets with successive balls in
his second over. But Shahid Afridi survived the hat-trick in typical fashion, with a miscued drive
over mid-off, and played that rarest of things, a memorable ten-ball innings, with one six and five
fours.
Man of the Match: Shahid Afridi.