England beat Pakistan by six wickets

5.26pm: Hello and welcome to live coverage of this eagerly anticipated low-scoring, slow-outfield cracker between the world champions and the last world champions. First: the bad news. It has been raining in Cardiff and the start is likely to be delayed. And if you're expecting any good news to sweeten that bitter pill I'm afraid I don't have any apart from a grudgingly optimistic forecast. I will be back with more shortly. In the meantime why not check out our peerless county blog . 5.31pm: And the very latest is that it's stopped raining . The covers are still on but there is a cautious leer of hope about the place. 5.39pm: The Guardian's voice of cricket Mike Selvey has just pointed out on the county blog that there are more people warming up on the outfield than there are ready to watch from the stands in Cardiff. It is a sorry thing. And some good news now: the toss will shortly take place and the start of play is likely to be sooner than we might have thought. 5.43pm: Collingwood tosses. Afridi calls right (heads) and Pakistan will bat first . Afridi promises to send the sloggers in early: himself, Razzaq and - less so - Umar Akmal. The plan is to get after Yardy and Swann so plenty of fun in store. Wahab Riaz is out and Mohammed Hafeez is in to bowl spin and bat. 5.51pm: England are unchanged and it looks like we will start on time so well done Cardiff. Very much looking forward to the souped-up Pakistan aggression at the top of the order, and surely the right approach from Afridi, or at least a very Afridi-like approach from Afridi who is one of my all-time favourite cricketers, albeit not really for much of his cricket. 5.59pm: The Pakistan openers are in the middle and Cardiff looks a picture. Not perhaps the nicest picture. But still a kind of picture. Ryan Sidebottom will open the bowling from his highly fashionable tricky left arm angle. 1st over: Pakistan 11-0 (Kamran Akmal 11, Shahzaib Hasan 0) The second ball of the match is over-pitched and a little wide and Akmal blasts it nicely over cover for four, scything across the line of the ball inside to out. Kieswetter then fields at deep square leg as he works one off his hip. Always love seeing a wicket keeper field. They're often top drawer. No real swing or seam yet for Sidebottom and the short ball isn't really working either as he bangs one in an Kamran hooks it for four very nicely. A quick ball, 90mph, but that disappeared. Excellent start for Pakistan and their massively swiping keeper-batsman 2nd over: Pakistan 13-1 (Mohammed Yousuf 1, Shahzaib Hasan 1) The likeably bustling Bresnan comes grimacing in from the other end and he's right on the money straight away, bowling nice and straight and just back of a length on middle and leg. Bit of drizzle out there too but still quite light. And oh look WICKET! Akmal c Swann b Bresnan 11 (Pakistan 11-1) that line has tempted Akmal into a heave to a ball that wasn't quite there for the shot and instead of pulling it for six he pulls it way up in the air and is caught at deep midwicket. That was a very meek dismissal, Akaml cracking under the pressure of a couple of dot balls and what a terrible summer he has had. Mohammed Yousuf comes in and as ever is a much needed piece of ballast at the top of that order. Bresnan greets him with a lovely yorker that he just about digs out - always England's plan to him. 3rd over: Pakistan 16-1 (Mohammed Yousuf 2, Shahzaib Hasan 3) Broad is on for Sidebottom who got just one over and he starts with a sharp short ball to the man they call Mo Yo. He ducks. You always know what you're going to get with England now in this format, no secrets there, but no one seems to know what to do about it. Next ball Yousuf is dropped by Morgan, a back foot drive off a short wide ball that bursts through Morgan's hand head high at point. That is a really bad drop I'm afraid. Broad responds with a couple of 90mph+ short ball that Shahzaib doesn't really deal with very well. An empty Cardiff applauds quietly. And Andy Bradshaw writes: "Dear lord, do Glamorgan have no shame, not only have they whored their stadium out to SWALEC, but 2 of the stands are called Regent Cleaning Members Stand & the Biffa Stand." 4th over: Pakistan 19-2 (Umar Akmal 1, Shahzaib Hasan 3) More short stuff from Bresnan and it's a WICKET! Yousuf c Bopara b Bresnan 4 (Pakistan 18-2) as the old fellow hooks one in the air to deep midwicket, a flatter dismissal than Kamran but right to the man. Umar Akmal is the new man and he's away with a one that should have been two if he hadn't dropped his bat at the non-striker's end . It has been that kind of tour all round. Phil Sawyer muses: "Looks like the OBO attendance tonight is as low as the crowd in Cardiff. So, do you reckon you drew the short straw watching this tonight instead of the football or is it actually a blessed relief?" This is fine by me. Plus I suspect we'll be finished for the second half. Good old Pakistan. 5th over: Pakistan 22-4 (Umar Akmal 1, Hafeez 0) Broad carries on with his straight back of a length stuff and - blimey - second ball it works again WICKET! Shahzaib c Davies b Broad 3 (Pakistan 20-3) as Shahzaib has a wild pull at an 89mph short one and gloves a simple catch to Davies. It is well-directed short stuff, this, but the batting is incredibly limp. Pakistan are literally hurling their wickets away with some wild swipes of the bat. And, er, now Afridi has come in. He wafts horribly at his first ball without moving his feet and misses it. 92.5mph from Broad. Afridi then spoons a short ball up in the air but safe to get off the mark. But oh cripes, the next ball is an attempted swat over point that simply flies up in the air and it's a WICKET! Afridi c Morgan b Broad 2 (Pakistan 22-4) as Morgan pouches an even simpler one this time. That is absolutely brainless cricket from the skipper and Pakistan are already in a terrible hole. 6th over: Pakistan 23-4 (Umar Akmal 1, Hafeez 1) More eager thundering fast-medium from the irrepressibly chummy Bresnan, his boyish features contorted with affable menace. He is a very good T20 bowler, all very straight and very hard to get away as Pakistan finally realise they might have to build something here. Five dot balls to start the over as Hafeez defends and then he whips one off his legs to get off the mark. The pitch looks fine and this already looks like a woeful, overly pumped-up top order implosion from Pakistan. 7th over: Pakistan 26-4 (Umar Akmal 3, Hafeez 3) Broad continues his rough house double act with Bresnan and it's more quick straight short-ish stuff, well-directed and entirely to order, perhaps the way the Terminator would bowl in Twenty20, straight up and down and robotically hostile. Some meagre singles are pinched before the last ball is defended from Akmal's throat, a 90mph bouncer that frankly left no other option. Broad has 2-0-9-2. Brilliant bowling. 8th over: Pakistan 27-4 (Umar Akmal 3, Hafeez 4) Yardy comes in to bowl his round arm left arm bungers, firing it in at 60mph. On Sky commentary Nasser Hussain says "to be honest I don't think Pakistan have a clue what they're doing right now" as Hafeez paddle sweeps a single off the last ball after defending the first five. Clare A Davies seems a bit cross about something: "Evening Barney – good to see the OBO faithful are supporting tonight's highly anticipated clash of the current and past World T20 Champions. By the time you get this, I'm sure Naylor will have sent in a devastating analysis of what the **** Afridi thinks he's doing. Still, at least none of us have coughed up £30-£55 of our hard-earned to be there. Chin up, it'll be over soon as even the threat of rain has apparently passed." Leave him alone. At times he's all we've got. 9th over: Pakistan 35-4 (Umar Akmal 9, Hafeez 5) Swann comes on to bowl and Umar Akmal again attacks him, coming down the pitch to thrash wildly over long off for a big six . That was pure hitting talent and off his first ball from England's main man too. What a lovely player he is. Joe Link writes: "Following the game from San Francisco where I'm visiting the family and it is mid-morning and 75 degrees already. My choices are 1) Continue to follow the game or 2) Go outside and fill the skip with the soil from where I've been digging the drains out. Usually no contest, but I'm in two minds. Makes me wonder what options that are usually no-goers become acceptable due to the lack of interest because of the poor performance of Pakistan?" 10th over: Pakistan 38-4 (Umar Akmal 11, Hafeez 6) That's not fair. I have to do this. But here's Yardy to brighten up our evening with his fizzed left-armers. Appeal for a stumping as Akmal misses a sweep but it's not out. Just two off the over and we're half way through here. time to get a shift on. In a sensible, not-losing-wickets kind of way. 11th over: Pakistan 45-5 (Abdul Razzaq 1, Hafeez 6) Swann carries on and once again Akmal runs down the pitch - really runs - and smashes him over long on for six. But wait. The next ball it's a WICKET! Akmal b Swann 18 (Pakistan 44-5) as Swann tosses the ball even higher and utterly does him in the flight as he looks to wallop over cover. Really good bowling there and Akmal is off slamming his bat into the ground having been brilliantly deceived. That was a really great Twenty20 over from Swann. 12th over: Pakistan 47-5 (Abdul Razzaq 3, Hafeez 7) Yardy carries on, earnestly rumbling in to bowl his horrible things. The last ball of the over is a 65mph dart on middle and leg thrt Razzaq barely plays at as it thumps into his pad. What a greta pair of spinners these two are in this form of the game. so focused and consistent. Clare Davies corrects: "Hey Barney. I'm not at all cross – except at the simple fact that I was hoping for a nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat match tonight which hardly seems likely right now." Quite. 13th over: Pakistan 50-5 (Abdul Razzaq 3, Hafeez 7) Jim Sykes writes: "Loads of comments about how bad Pakistan are but how much credit can we give England? From your OBO it sounds like the bowling has been spot on so far." True, they have been good, but pakistan are so brittle. The least bit of pressure and they crumble like a wafer thin meringue bludgeoned with a claw hammer. Swann carries on bowling brilliantly accurately and, apparently, with a semi-doosra in there, or something that spins on and almost has Razzak out stumped. 14th over: Pakistan 55-5 (Abdul Razzaq 4, Hafeez 14) Yardy again as England rush through these middle overs, but Hafeez finally gets a boundary off his 28th delivery flogging a short one through cover and smartly to the fence. He than has a go at running down the pitch but Yardy bowls a short fats half tracker and he just pats it back. Yardy has finished now. His figures: 4-0-9-0. This is, remember, a Twenty20 match. And Phil Sawyer is talking my language: "I'd like to officially declare my man love for Graeme Swann (even though it feels like I'm somehow being unfaithful to Collingwood behind his back). Bowling with such attacking flight the ball after being smacked for six? It makes me go all giddy." 15th over: Pakistan 63-7 (Abdul Razzaq 6, Umar Gul 2) Swann bowls again and straight away it's a WICKET! Hafeez run out (Swann) 14 (Pakistan 55-6) as Hafeez tries a reverse paddle that runs away off his thigh to Sidebottom at backward square leg and his throw catches Hafeez short, with Swann gathering it and taking the bails off. Hafeez was practically on the floor when Razzaq called that. Terrible running and Razzaq now owes his country a few swipes. The new man is Fawad Alam and oh look WICKET! Alam c Davies b Swann 0 (Pakistan 56-7) well caught by the keeper first ball as he plays a nothing back foot drive at a not-too-short ball. This is a terrible batting performance from a team who seem to wish they weren't there at all. Albeit, some lovely bowling in there from Swann with plenty of rip. He has 4-0-27-2. 16th over: Pakistan 71-7 (Abdul Razzaq 6, Umar Gul 8) Sidebottom comes back on after his sole opening over went for 11 and he kicks off with a wide. England have been very good at this game in the last few months, but what has Sidebottom's part in that really been? He seems to fit the plan with his angle but it's still a bit baffling that he has somehow become a Twenty20 specialist. All very sleepy out there for the end of a T20 thrash. You can hear individual drunken Welsh shouts from the crowd and even the waffle through the stump mic is alarmingly clear. Umar Gul does his best, top edging a pull over the keeper's head for four in mildly amusing fashion. He then swats a single to long on and holds the shot as though he's just smote the mnightiest six ever witnessed in South Wales (a record perhaps held by Vivi Richards). 17th over: Pakistan 80-7 (Abdul Razzaq 7, Umar Gul 16) Oh yes Umar Gul!, A wonderful pulled six into the crowd at square leg, an effortless shuffling waist-high pirouette, like a right-handed David Gower. Broad responds with a back of a length 93mph brute that he bunts away for one. Razzaq is standing pretty much on his stumps waiting for the short one and he plays that lovely pull again, this time for one. He does at least have a plan though, and England have yet to read it and bowl a toe-crusher. The final ball of the over sees Razzaq given not out for a catch down the leg side when he had clearly hit it. Could this be the turning point for Pakistan? 18th over: Pakistan 85-9 (Akhtar 0, Ajmal 0) Sidebottom carries on with an odd-job of 90mph full balls and slow short ones, halted only by Gul changing his bat mid-over, pausing to try out one or two before choosing a meaty-looking Boom Boom number. Razzaq finally openes up with a scythed square drive for four that beats the diving man on the boundary. But it's followed by a WICKET! Razzaq c Yardy b Sidebottom 11 (Pakistan 85-8) and that is that - 20 balls for Razzaq's 11 and Akhtar is in to see if Pakistan can make a hundred. Nest ball it's another WICKET! Gul c Bopara b Sidebottom 16 (Pakistan 85-9) as Bopara makes good ground and takes an excellent catch off the midwicket boundary as Gul goes to hook again. The hat-trick ball is full and wide and Ajmal defends fearfully. What a terrible card this is: top score 17 and a slew of batsmen out attempting to waft and pull at short balls. 19th over: Pakistan 89-9 (Akhtar 4, Ajmal 0) Akhtar gets a short one from Bresnan right away. Well, you would wouldn't you? Quite unlikely Bresnan is going to have to face him after all. The next ball is full and Akhtar muscles a wondrous drive through cover for four. Akhtar tries the same again two balls later and it's a final WICKET! Akhtar b Bresnan 4 (Pakistan 89 all out) as Bresnan bowls full and straight and hits the middle stump half way up. That is that: Pakistan have subsided limply here and England need 90 to win in quick time. Change of innings. Pakistan all out 89. England need 90 to win. Well, that was frankly appalling. Good bowling by England, but confirmation that Pakistan are simply not there mentally and this series is short-changing everyone who has paid to see it. What a rabble. I am tempted to say they shouldn't be asked to tour again for some time, but I do still have such high hopes for Pakistani cricketers. So much talent: and then this. Marie Meyer is, at least, not quite in despair yet. "Anyone else think Sidey's facial hair is making him look like Barry Gibb?" Still Tommy-era Roger Daltrey for me. Imagine though the shock from isolation - when he suddenly can hear and speak and see... Pakistan are warming up. They desperately need to come out strong and at least take a few wickets. There are some fine bowlers here: Gul has been unplayable in the past. Akhtar looked too much for Keiswetter the other day. You never know. Except that you do, really, on this occasion. England's openers are out there looking eager and Akhtar is grinning and winking and marking out his run. Mad Murr points out: "To be fair to Pakistan, their paltry 89 in this game is still higher than some of their test inning scores on this tour, so perhaps its really not so bad ...." It is all relative. And this was quicker at least. 1st over: England 5-0 (Kieswetter 1, Davies 4) Kieswetter gets right in behind his first ball as well he might because this man could easily get him dropped from England's Twenty20 team if he fails to deal with that slingy express pace. 92mph from Akhtar and some good bounce too.Kieswetter is off the mark with a flicked one to leg and now England's other wicketkeeper is on strike and he flicks a legstump half volley for an aerial four that Umar Akmal might have got a hand on there at square leg. Well put away though. Clare Davies writes: "Vivi Richards Barney? Is this your way of showing your man love for the great man? Or just to show the close and intimate terms on which you are with him?" Er, no. Just he played for Glamorgan. In Wales. 2nd over: England 24-0 (Kieswetter 16, Davies 7) Umar Gul, freshly lauded by me, starts with a no ball, a terrible sin in this form of the game. Kieswetter steps away and hits it over cover for six - a lovely strike that just flies away into the night sky. Phil Sawyer also likes a bit of Akhtar with his Swann: "Could I also say how pleasing it's been to see Shoaib bowling again. The last of the golden age of truly great fast bowlers?" He is just a really fascinating character too - not built to bowl at all, but does just love running in and flinging it down. A friend of mine once faced him in the nets in Pakistan for a journalistic experience. He said Akhar bowled like lightning at him and kept grinning as the ball crashed into various parts of his body. Kieswetter hoicks Gul for a legside four and I'm glad he's playing aggressively, as he does again with a lovely cover driven four. 19 off the over and it's more of the same here. 3rd over: England 26-2 (Collingwood 0, Bopara 0) Davies takes Akhtar again, working another two off his hip and forcing Shoaib to go round the wicket to him - actually more to do with the footholds. And it works straight away WICKET! Davies c U Akmal b Akhtar 9 (England 26-1) as he clips a ball in the air straight to square leg where it's a simple catch for Umar. And guess what? Next ball it's another WICKET! Kieswetter run out (U Akmal) 16 (England 26-2) as Umar throws down the stumps from point. That was entirely Kieswetter's own fault as Bopara sent him back very early, he was backing up too far and the throw was brilliant. Collingwood is in now and in no kind of form. David Keech writes: "Here in Ohio, I have more choices than Joe Link (Pakistan, Ov. 9). Three hours ahead of USA West Coast it is mid afternoon, 93F (approx. 30C) and I am sitting out on my deck wearing not a lot. I can listen to the T20 via TMS, follow the OBO, watch the tennis on ESPN3 (online) or watch England's match in Switzerland (ESPN3). What should I do?" Maybe put some clothes on. 4th over: England 30-2 (Collingwood 2, Bopara 1) Umar Gul again and Collingwood is off the mark with a single from a midfield by Umar Akmal, he of the brilliant fielding not so long ago. now what can Ravi do here? A chance for a nice little feisty 40 not out perhaps. the problem Pakistan have is that batting second England have no scoreboard pressure at all. They can simply dig in and nurdle singles as Collingwood does right away. John Starbuck is sympathetic: "It must be pretty tough for Pakistan coming up against the World Champions anyway, let alone when their team has been chopped about and they've had so little practice in what we call an English summer. Whose idea was that for getting some play under their belts? Is his name really Mad? (1st over)." Apparently so. It may simply be an internet "nickname". 5th over: England 32-2 (Collingwood 4, Bopara 1) Shoaib continues, having induced some mild panic in the last over,but he has a pair of proper Test Match calibre top order batsmen out there now and the express pace should be easier to start against for these two. Having said that Collingwood goes for his trademark flip-swivel-pull and gets one that thunks meatily into the midriff. Shoaib enjoyed that. Every quicker ball is up and over 90mph and the old dog can still do it, even if he is hobbling a bit now and pouring with sweat already. And Kat Petersen - the female KP - is just saying: "David Keech (3rd over) is a classic example of that old difference between men and women... I'm working, drinking G&T, watching some awful TV show about pregnant teenagers (housemate's choice) and following the OBO and MBM simultaneously. And writing e-mails. Just saying." 6th over: England 35-2 (Collingwood 6, Bopara 2) Ajmal is on bowling round the wicket and his first ball is a huge shout for lbw against Bopara but it pitched outside leg stump. I'm not sure Bopara plays spin that well despite being wristy etc, he does seem a bit loose against it. Here he works a legside single as Afridi fails to make a diving stop. And that is the end of the Powerplay, for what it's worth (not really much here). 7th over: England 46-2 (Collingwood 14, Bopara 3) Akhtar to Bopara and the first ball is a lovely thing that seams away and beats Bopara. Akhtar looks agonised, either because he thought he'd got his man or because he's totally knackered already after three overs. His hair is literally sopping with sweat. And what a shot by Collingwood - skipping down the pitch ( note: to Shoaib Akhtar ) and flipping him over midwicket for six . That was more like the IPL-version Collingwood. A misfield in the deep by Shahzaib and Akhtar yells at him angrily. He is not only soaking wet but absolutely distraught out there. Dan Lucas demurs: ""Shoaib... has a pair of proper Test Match calibre top order batsmen out there now." WHAT?? I'm pretty sure that's Ravi Bopara out there." Three Test Match hundreds. Oozes class. Ravi is a proper player. The openers are both wicketkeepers. 8th over: England 53-2 (Collingwood 20, Bopara 4) Ajmal continues and Collingwood plays an old-fashioned stand-up back-cut like the ghost of Jack Hobbs and they run four as Razzaq chases it miles into the far corner and unfurls a dive. This is now simply a matter of knocking them off however you like. Twenty can appear quite silly - and in fact pointless - at times. 9th over: England 56-2 (Collingwood 21, Bopara 6) Afridi comes on to bowl to Bopara and they continue to work and nurdle some yawn-worthy singles - you can't really blame these two for this, given neither have many runs for England recently. What's Bopara going to do? Get himself out stumped or caught at long-on? 10th over: England 59-3 (Morgan 1, Bopara 7) Ajmal carries on and he's got a WICKET! Collingwood c Hafeez b Ajmal 21 (England 57-3) as Collingwood again fails to read, or at least deal with, the doosra. He's out caught at slip as he was in the Tests and Pakistan are at least making some inroads here. However The Finisher is now in. Is this exciting yet? I'm not totally sure. On the whole I think: no. 11th over: England 63-4 (Morgan 1, Yardy 0) Bopara continues to look nervous and very much like a player worried about his place in the team as Afridi fires down his leg-break mortars. Some relief with a horrible short ball that Bopara puts away on the pull very nicely. But wait - next ball is a quicker one he tries to pull at again and WICKET! Bopara lbw b Afridi 12 (England 63-4) Bopara is out pulling and missing and hit on the pad, perhaps a little high but perhaps not. And Sara Torvalds is multi-sporting: "I'm with Kat (3rd over), people should be able to follow more than one sport at any given time. Which brings me to the fact that Finland is only 2-1 down against the Netherlands at half-time, which I personally think qualifies as a victory after a 2-0 defeat to Moldova the other day." 12th over: England 68-4 (Morgan 6, Yardy 0) Hafeez comes on to bowl his knocked-off Saqlain-style off-breaks and Morgan hits him back over his head for a muscular one bounce four second ball. He just looks so cool and calm in this kind of cricket - so different to his nervy white-clothing persona. Akmal shouts "Well done Hafeez" from behind the stumps, which seems a bit formal. 13th over: England 80-4 (Morgan 13, Yardy 1) A bit of flight from Afridi and Morgan unfurls that laser-guided cover drive, finding the gap and running a three to the long bit of the outfield. And here's Yardy doing his ludicrous-but-effective leap-about batting. He finagles a single and Morgan cuts hard for four, after which Afridi decides to bowl a bouncer at roughly Mark Ealham-ish pace, 78mph. Morgan ducks and it goes away for four byes but a lovely surprise ball if you can do it. England just need ten to win now. 14th over: England 90-4 (Morgan 18, Yardy 5) Hafeez to Morgan again and again he whacks the ball down the ground where there are no fielders for a simple but effective one-bounce four. It is all extremely sombre and quiet out there now, although the crowd wake up as Yardy cuts through cover and England run four to win the game and the series 2-0. England win by six wickets and win the series 2-0. Well, there we go. What a terrible anti-climax of a Twenty20 match. Credit to England for some excellent hostile tight bowling and I suppose Pakistan fought back a bit in the end, but really you knew who was going to win this from the 5th over of the match. We're back with the ODI series next week and hoping for a bit more of a tussle. Thanks for all your emails. Barney.