• England v Pakistan, World Twenty20 warm-up

Briggs & Dernbach bail out batsmen in England win

ESPN staff
September 19, 2012
Samit Patel did the early damage alongside Danny Briggs © Getty Images
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England 111 (Wright 38, Ajmal 4-14) beat Pakistan 96 for 9 (Briggs 3-15, Dernbach 3-14) by 15 runs
Scorecard

England's batsmen were suspect against spin but their bowlers, without Graeme Swann, worked their way through Pakistan's brittle line-up to comfortably defend 111.

On a slow pitch with turn and bounce, Danny Briggs and Samit Patel did the early damage before Stuart Broad weighed in with a testing spell. Jade Dernbach ensured there would be no resistance from the Pakistan lower order and sealed England's second warm-up win.

After winning the toss, England had crumbled from 105 for 5 to be bowled out for 111, losing their last five wickets in eight balls to Saeed Ajmal and Yasir Arafat. Their innings never really took off, with only Luke Wright making an impression with a steady 38.

Eoin Morgan summed up England's approach. He tried to paddle Ajmal's first ball and missed, succeeded the second time, and was caught behind trying to cut a quick one. The lower order had no clue what Ajmal was up to.

Pakistan seemed much more comfortable against spin, but started self-destructing soon. Mohammad Hafeez survived a stumping opportunity off Briggs after a big charge, but slog-swept the bowler to deep midwicket off the last ball of the first over.

Imran Nazir did the same a few overs later, after which Patel sneaked in a tossed-up delivery through Nasir Jamshed's defences. Asad Shafiq and Umar Akmal were in control before throwing it away through needless forcing strokes.

Broad was unplayable at times, getting short deliveries to straighten around off stump. He got Shahid Afridi nicking one such ball. Against Dernbach's variations, Shoaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq never looked like middling the big strokes that Pakistan needed.

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